video atlas of minerals in thin section

This is a growing collection of short (~30s each) videos showing a variety of both common and rare minerals in thin section through 360° rotations. These videos illustrate distinctive optical properties in plane polarized light (PPL; both stage and lower polarizer rotation versions), under crossed polarizers (XP; stage rotation), and where appropriate, will also include an optic figure rotation. The featured minerals are cross referenced to PPL and XP scans of the source thin section and to accompanying microprobe data, to provide for greater petrologic context. Additionally, where possible, multiple examples are provided to highlight how the featured mineral appears within different rocks types and assemblages, and to illustrate how its optical properties may vary with compositional changes.

I’m adding new mineral entries frequently, so check back periodically as this collection of videos of minerals in thin section grows; as of April 2023, there are over 1350 videos highlighting close to 360 samples from ~216 of the thin sections. New mineral entries will come from both new thin sections, and from further additions from earlier thin sections.

An alphabetical index of all the featured minerals in these videos is available at the bottom of this page.


About the videos

As an advantage over just still photomicrographs, these videos offer a near-live microscope experience. The videos are short (~30 seconds each) high-definition (720p) 360° stage rotations illustrating various mineral properties in PPL, XPL, and where appropriate, an optic figure.

Two PPL video versions are provided: the traditional stage rotation (thus comparable motion to the XP videos), and a separate lower polarizer rotation. The lower polarizer rotation videos are specifically included to help discern subtle changes in pleochroism or relief that may be overlooked with stage rotation. Except for the lower polarizer rotation videos, the lower polarizer orientation in each video is always E-W and is parallel to the horizontal dimension of the video; for the lower polarizer rotation videos, the videos begin and end with E-W lower polarizer orientation, and are N-S at approximately the video halfway marks. The same view is framed for each PPL (lower polarizer rotation), PPL (stage rotation) and XP (stage rotation) video set. In general, the featured mineral for each set was selected to show maximum birefringence (and hence also the most marked pleochroism, if the mineral is colored), and if possible also additional useful properties such as characteristic habit, well-developed cleavage, and/or interesting associations. Unless otherwise noted, the PPL and XP videos are taken at 50X (i.e. using the 5X objective), and so the general horizontal field of view is approximately 2 mm across.

For the optic figure video, of course, a different low birefringence grain would be selected, one appropriate to illustrate either a reasonably centered optic axis figure or a reasonably centered BxA figure, if possible. Needless to say, isotropic minerals will not feature an optic figure video (however, isotropic minerals will feature plane polarized light [PPL] and crossed polarizer [XP] videos to highlight the pleochroism and/or the birefringence of any associated phases). To ascertain optic sign, each optic figure video ends with the insertion of the 1λ accessory plate (“gypsum” plate; a few deeply-colored or high birefringence minerals may alternatively show insertion of a quartz wedge), and ends such that the optic plane is oriented NE-SW. To estimate 2V° from a featured BxA figure, the diameter of the field of view roughly corresponds to 65° (using a 100X objective with a N.A. of 0.90, and assuming β ≈ 1.6).

2V°

The videos are taken in movie mode with a Canon RebelPro EOS T1i 500D DSLR camera attached to a Nikon Eclipse LV100POL petrographic microscope and are captured with the Canon EOS Utility software. Limited video post-processing is done in iMovie 10.1.8, and includes deletion of the audio track (which consists only of background noise), white balance adjustment (primarily for the PPL videos) and image stabilization (to minimize the jerkiness of the stage or lower polarizer rotation). The optic figure videos are cropped so the microscope field of view spans the video vertical frame dimension.


About the tables

Due to the increasing number of videos, the original large single table has been discarded in favor of multiple smaller tables based on mineral grouping (see below for quick links).

As the library grows, I hope to include multiple examples of the more common species from different rock types and parageneses, nominally to illustrate variations in optical properties due to compositional variations. For a couple of extreme examples of how compositional variation can markedly affect optical properties, check out the current entries for gahnite and staurolite.

Each posted video is a full-length thumbnail you can view or just preview here. Move the cursor off the video and after a few seconds the play button is hidden. Although the full-length video will play at this smaller thumbnail size, if you then still wish to view a full-size version, you can view them on the rockPTX Vimeo channel (this is the site where the videos are currently externally-hosted). Although optimized for a laptop or desktop computer screen, the tables are mobile-responsive. Depending on your device and browser, other options for playback may also be available here, including full-screen and picture-in-picture. Incidentally, the videos were formerly also available on the rockPTX channel on YouTube, but YouTube’s new policy of forcing ads to appear on most videos made the viewing experience so obnoxious that I decided to the 100% switch over to Vimeo.

Although the videos are externally-hosted and only embedded here, the default setting for the number of table rows displayed at one time is nonetheless set to 10 to speed up rendering for those users with slow internet connections. However, row display is user-ajustable (top left of table). In addition to row display options, the table is also fully filterable using the search bar (top right of table), using any user-selected search terms. In additional to main mineral species names, table entries also include searchable terms for mineral families (“garnet”, “tourmaline”, “pyroxene”, etc.), thin section number and generalized rock type. Because all of the videos illustrate multi-mineral associations, searching for a particular mineral may also include additional entries in which that mineral occurs as an associated species. Although some of the table entries provide limited accompanying compositional information to help the user relate the featured optical properties to composition (typically the apfu of one or two critical elements), all the featured minerals are linked back to their host thin section scan entries, and so many of them can be related back to an accompanying table of more detailed compositional data.

So, browse the pages below to find minerals of interest, as well as associated species. Note: if you have a slow internet connection, it might take a minute or two to load these multi-video pages.

For those who may be a bit rusty with their Dana’s classification of minerals and may not immediately know which table hosts their videos of interest, an additional alphabetical index of the currently-featured samples is available at the bottom of this page.

non-silicates in thin section

nesosilicates in thin section

sorosilicates and cyclosilicates in thin section

single chain inosilicates in thin section

double chain and more complex inosilicates in thin section

phyllosilicates in thin section

tectosilicates and miscellaneous silicates in thin section




Alphabetical index of featured mineral videos

This index tabulates the minerals for which videos have been prepared, includes a clickable categorization of their Dana 7th ed. classification (to direct viewers to the appropriate table of videos), and in some cases, is followed by suggestions on other minerals the viewer may want to compare (see below).

Many of the minerals listed here are featured in multiple examples, representing different parageneses or compositional variability. In addition to IMA-recognized species, a variety of group names (e.g. “hornblende”, “clinopyroxene”, “plagioclase”), other non-species names of common usage (e.g. “sphene”, “manganogrunerite”), and even a few potential new species (“cobaltohögbomite”) have also been included in this list to assist in searching for videos; all of these alternative names are given within quotation marks.

In many cases, particularly with minerals that form complex solid-solutions such as the amphiboles, tourmalines, garnets, etc., while a dominant molecule is necessary to assign a name, the sample’s optical properties more likely reflect its overall compositional complexity; hence, an ascribed name may not be fully indicative of that mineral’s typical appearance in thin section. To accommodate this, suggestions for comparison are given (note that these suggestions are not exhaustive!). The notation of sensu lato emphasizes that several independently-recognized species derived from one root-name are featured (e.g. hastingsite, magnesio-hastingsite, potassic-magnesio-hastingsite, magnesio-fluoro-hastingsite). As noted above, in many cases the optical properties of the various members that share a common root-name are sufficiently similar as to make distinguishing them by optical mineralogy alone difficult; hence, it should be re-iterated that the defining compositional parameters necessary to precisely name a species have typically been determined by EPMA and not only by optical means. Nonetheless, evaluation of these related species can still provide useful additional examples for comparison.

 

actinolite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see tremolite and magnesio-hornblende)

adelite: non-silicates (arsenate)

aegirine: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene])

aegirine-augite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene]) (also see aegirine)

aenignatite: branched inosilicates (aenignatite group)

åkermanite: sorosilicates (melilite group)

albite: tectosilicates (feldspar group [plagioclase]) (also see anorthite and “andesine”)

allanite-(Ce): mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (epidote group) (also see ferriallanite-(Ce), dollaseite-(Ce) and “ferridissakisite-(Ce)”)

alleghanyite: nesosilicates (humite group)

almandine: nesosilicates (garnet group) (also see pyrope and spessartine)

aluminoceladonite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group) (also see muscovite, chromceladonite, “vanadoceladonite” and celadonite [sensu lato])

aluminosugilite: cyclosilicates (osumilite group) (also see sugilite)

amesite: [T-Oct] phyllosilicates (serpentine/kaolinite group)

amphibole group: see individual amphibole species

andalusite: nesosilicates

“andesine”: tectosilicates (feldspar group [plagioclase]) (also see albite and anorthite)

andradite: nesosilicates (garnet group) (also see grossular, uvarovite and goldmanite)

ankerite: non-silicates (carbonate) (also see the other rhombohedral carbonates)

anorthite: tectosilicates (feldspar group [plagioclase]) (also see albite and “andesine”)

anthophyllite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

apatite group: see individual species, such as fluorapatite and hydroxylapatite, as well as the non-phosphate apatite supergroup nesosilicate fluorbritholite-(Ce)

ardennite-(As): mixed noncyclic silicate clusters

arfvedsonite: end-member arfvedsonite is not yet featured, but see potassic-arfvedsonite, potassic-magnesio-arfvedsonite and magnesio-fluoro-arfvedsonite

astrophyllite: branched inosilicates (astrophyllite group) (see also kupletskite-(Cs))

augite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene]) (also see diopside)

axinite group: see individual species, such as tinzenite

azurite: non-silicates (carbonate)

baddeleyite: non-silicates (oxide)

baratovite: cyclosilicates (also see katayamalite)

barite: non-silicates (sulfate)

barroisite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see richterite [sensu lato] and winchite)

barytolamprophyllite: sorosilicates (lamprophyllite group)

benitoite: cyclosilicates

berlinite: non-silicates (phosphate)

bertrandite: sorosilicates

beryl: cyclosilicates

biotite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group) (also see phlogopite)

“blue melilite” (to be further characterized): sorosilicates (melilite group)

“bronzite”: inosilicates (pyroxene group [orthopyroxene]) (also see enstatite)

burangaite: non-silicates (phosphate)

bustamite: inosilicates (wollastonite group [pyroxenoid])

calcite: non-silicates (carbonate) (also see the other rhombohedral carbonates)

cancrinite: tectosilicates (cancrinite group [feldspathoid])

carpholite: inosilicates

caryinite: non-silicates (arsenate [alluaudite group])

cavansite: phyllosilicates

celadonite: end-member celadonite is not yet featured, but see aluminoceladonite, chromceladonite and “vanadoceladonite”

cerchiaraite-(Fe): cyclosilicates

chlorite group: see individual species, such as clinochlore

chloritoid: nesosilicates

chondrodite: nesosilicates (humite group)

chromceladonite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group) (also see muscovite, aluminoceladonite, “vanadoceladonite” and celadonite [sensu lato])

chrysoberyl: non-silicates (oxide)

clinochlore: [T-Oct-T]-Oct phyllosilicates (chlorite group)

clino-ferro-suenoite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

clinohumite: nesosilicates (humite group) (also see hydroxylclinohumite)

“clinopyroxene”: see individual species, such as diopside, esseneite, hedenbergite, johannsenite, augite, aegirine-augite, jadeite, omphacite, aegirine, namansilite and kosmochlor

clino-suenoite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

clinozoisite: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (epidote group)

clintonite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group)

“cobaltohögbomite”: non-silicates (oxide [högbomite group])

cordierite: cyclosilicates

corundum: non-silicates (oxide)

cryolite: non-silicates (halide)

cummingtonite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

“dannemorite”: see clino-ferro-suenoite

danalite: tectosilicates (helvine group [related to sodalite group]) (also see genthelvite)

datolite: nesosilicates (gadolinite supergroup)

dawsonite: non-silicates (carbonate)

delhayelite: phyllosilicates

diaoyudaoite: non-silicates (oxide)

diopside: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene])

dollaseite-(Ce): mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (epidote group) (also see allanite-(Ce), ferriallanite-(Ce) and “ferridissakisite-Ce)”)

dolomite: non-silicates (carbonate) (also see the other rhombohedral carbonates)

donpeacorite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [orthopyroxene])

dravite: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

dumortierite: nesosilicates

ellenbergerite: nesosilicates

eckermannite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see arfvedsonite [sensu lato] and leakeite [sensu lato])

enstatite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [orthopyroxene]) (also see “bronzite” and “hypersthene”)

epidote: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (epidote group)

“epidote-(Pb)”: see hancockite

esseneite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene])

eudialyte: cyclosilicates (eudialyte group) (also see additional species in the eudialyte group, such as ferrokentbrooksite)

feldspar group: see individual alkali feldspar, plagioclase and Ba-feldspar species

ferriallanite-(Ce): mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (epidote group) (also see allanite-(Ce), dollaseite-(Ce) and “ferridissakisite-(Ce)”)

“ferridissakisite-(Ce)”: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (epidote group) (also see ferriallanite-(Ce), dollaseite-(Ce) and allanite-(Ce))

ferri-fluoro-leakeite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see arfvedsonite [sensu lato], eckermannite [sensu lato] and leakeite [sensu lato])

ferri-kaersutite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

“ferrisicklerite”: non-silicates (phosphate) (now discredited as a species, an alteration-derived intermediate composition along the triphylite-heterosite join)

ferro-ferri-fluoro-katophorite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see ferro-ferri-katophorite)

ferro-ferri-katophorite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see ferro-ferri-fluoro-katophorite)

“ferro-ferri-leakeite”: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see arfvedsonite [sensu lato], eckermannite [sensu lato] and leakeite [sensu lato])

“ferro-hypersthene”: inosilicates (pyroxene group [orthopyroxene]) (also see ferrosilite)

ferrokentbrooksite: cyclosilicates (eudialyte group)

ferro-pargasite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see pargasite [sensu lato] and hastingsite [sensu lato])

ferrosilite: near end-member ferrosilite (Fs90-Fs100) is not yet featured, but see the ferrosilite variety “ferro-hypersthene”

fluorapatite: non-silicates (phosphate [apatite supergroup])

fluorbritholite-(Ce): nesosilicates (apatite supergroup)

fluorcalciomicrolite: non-silicates (oxide [pyrochlore supergroup])

fluorite: non-silicates (halide)

fluoro-leakeite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see arfvedsonite [sensu lato], eckermannite [sensu lato] and leakeite [sensu lato])

fluoro-richterite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

foitite: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

forsterite: nesosilicates (olivine group)

fredrikssonite: non-silicates (borate)

frondelite: non-silicates (phosphate [rockbridgeite group])

gadolinite-(Ce): nesosilicates (gadolinite supergroup)

gageite: inosilicates

gahnite: non-silicates (oxide [spinel group])

ganomalite: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters

garnet group: see individual species, such as pyrope, almandine, spessartine, grossular, andradite, uvarovite, goldmanite and kimzeyite, as well as the non-silicate garnet supergroup arsenate manganberzeliite and vanadate schäferite

gehlenite: sorosilicates (melilite group)

genthelvite: tectosilicates (helvine group [related to sodalite group]) (also see danalite)

gillespite: phyllosilicates

“glauconite”: see aluminoceladonite and celadonite (sensu lato)

glaucophane: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see riebeckite and eckermannite [sensu lato])

goldmanite: nesosilicates (garnet group) (also see uvarovite, andradite and grossular)

grandidierite: nesosilicates

grossite: non-silicates (oxide)

grossular: nesosilicates (garnet group) (also see uvarovite, andradite and goldmanite)

hancockite: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (epidote group)

hardystonite: sorosilicates (melilite group)

hastingsite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see pargasite [sensu lato] and hastingsite [sensu lato])

haüyne: tectosilicates (sodalite group [feldspathoid])

hedenbergite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene])

helvite group: see individual species, such as genthelvite and danalite

henmilite: non-silicates (borate)

hercynite: non-silicates (oxide [spinel group])

heterosite: end-member heterosite is not yet featured, but see “ferrisicklerite”, an alteration-derived intermediate composition along the triphylite-heterosite join

hibonite: non-silicates (oxide)

hiortdahlite: sorosilicates (cuspidine group)

hjalmarite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see richterite [sensu lato])

högbomite group: see individual species, such as “cobaltohögbomite”

holmquistite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

“hornblende”: see individual species that may be petrographically generalized as “hornblende”, such as magnesio-hornblende, actinolite, pargasite (sensu lato), hastingsite (sensu lato) and tschermakite

hsianghualite: tectosilicates (zeolite group)

humite group: see individual species, such as chondrodite, clinohumite, “hydroxylhumite”, hydroxylclinohumite and alleghanyite

hydroxycalciopyrochlore: non-silicates (oxide [pyrochlore group])

hydroxylapatite: non-silicates (phosphate [apatite supergroup])

hydroxylclinohumite: nesosilicates (humite group) (also see clinohumite)

“hydroxylhumite”: nesosilicates (humite group)

“hypersthene”: inosilicates (pyroxene group [orthopyroxene]) (also see enstatite, “bronzite” and “ferro-hypersthene”)

idocrase: see vesuvianite

inesite: inosilicates (“amphiboloid”)

itoigawaite: sorosilicates (also see lawsonite)

jadeite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene])

jahnsite-(CaMnMg): non-silicates (phosphate [jahnsite-whiteite group])

“jeffersonite”: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene]) (a mixed diopside/johannsenite/petedunnite clinopyroxene)

joesmithite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

johannsenite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene])

kaersutite: end-member kaersutite is not yet featured, but see ferri-kaersutite

kalsilite: tectosilicates (nepheline group [feldspathoid])

kanonaite: nesosilicates

katayamalite: cyclosilicates (also see baratovite)

katophorite: end-member katophorite is not yet featured, but see ferro-ferri-katophorite and ferro-ferri-fluoro-katophorite

kellyite: [T-Oct] phyllosilicates (serpentine/kaolinite group)

kerimasite: nesosilicates (garnet group)

“K-feldspar”: see individual species, such as sanidine, orthoclase and microcline

kornerupine group: see individual species, such as prismatine

kosmochlor: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene])

kupletskite-(Cs): branched inosilicates (astrophyllite group) (see also astrophyllite)

kyanite: nesosilicates

lamprophyllite: sorosilicates (lamprophyllite group)

lawsonite: sorosilicates (also see itoigawaite)

lazulite: non-silicates (phosphate)

lazurite: tectosilicates (sodalite group [feldspathoid])

leakeite: end-member leakeite is not yet featured, but see fluoro-leakeite, ferri-fluoro-leakeite, “ferro-ferri-leakeite” and “mangano-ferri-fluoro-leakeite”

“lepidolite”: see individual species, such as polylithionite

leucite: tectosilicates [feldspathoid]

leucophosphite: non-silicates (phosphate)

leucosphenite: inosilicate-phyllosilicate transitional

liebenbergite: nesosilicates (olivine group)

lomonosovite: sorosilicates

lucchesiite: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

ludwigite: non-silicates (borate)

magnesio-fluoro-arfvedsonite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see arfvedsonite [sensu lato], eckermannite [sensu lato] and riebeckite)

magnesio-hastingsite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see pargasite [sensu lato] and hastingsite [sensu lato])

magnesio-hornblende: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see actinolite, tschermakite and pargasite [sensu lato])

magnesite: non-silicates (carbonate) (also see the other rhombohedral carbonates)

maleevite: tectosilicates

manganberzeliite: non-silicates (arsenate [garnet supergroup])

mangani-pargasite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see pargasite [sensu lato])

“manganocummingtonite”: see clino-suenoite

“mangano-ferri-fluoro-leakeite”: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see arfvedsonite [sensu lato], eckermannite [sensu lato] and leakeite [sensu lato])

“manganogrunerite”: see clino-ferro-suenoite

mangano-mangani-ungarettiite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

“manganpyrosmalite”: see pyrosmalite-(Mn)

manganvesuvianite: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (vesuvianite group)

margarite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group)

marialite: tectosilicates (scapolite group) (also see meionite)

marsturite: inosilicates (pyroxenoid group)

melanotekite: sorosilicates

melilite group: see individual species, such as åkermanite, gehlenite and hardystonite, and the at-present poorly-characterized “blue melilite” and “yellow melilite”

meionite: tectosilicates (scapolite group) (also see marialite)

mica group: see individual species, such as muscovite, aluminoceladonite, phlogopite, biotite and margarite

microcline: tectosilicates (feldspar group [“K-feldspar”]) (also see sanidine and orthoclase)

microlite group: see individual species, such as fluorcalciomicrolite

monticellite: nesosilicates (olivine group)

mosandrite-(Ce): sorosilicates

muirite: cyclosilicates

murakamiite: inosilicates (wollastonite group [pyroxenoid]) (also see pectolite)

muscovite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group) (also see celadonite [sensu lato])

namansilite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene])

nambulite: inosilicates (pyroxenoid group)

nepheline: tectosilicates (nepheline group [feldspathoid])

neptunite: columnar/tubular inosilicates

niocalite: sorosilicates (cuspidine group)

nosean: tectosilicates (sodalite group [feldspathoid])

olivine group: see individual species, such as forsterite, tephroite, liebenbergite and monticellite

olshanskyite: non-silicates (borate)

omphacite: inosilicates (pyroxene group [clinopyroxene]) (also see jadeite and aegirine-augite)

“ortho-amphibole”: see individual species, such as anthophyllite, proto-ferro-suenoite and “sodic-gedrite”

orthoclase: tectosilicates (feldspar group [“K-feldspar”]) (also see microcline and sanidine)

“orthopyroxene”: see individual species/varieties, such as enstatite, “bronzite”, “hypersthene”, “ferro-hypersthene”, ferrosilite and donpeacorite

osumilite: cyclosilicates (osumilite group)

oxy-chromium-dravite: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

oxy-dravite: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

“oxy-olenite”: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

oxy-schorl: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

pargasite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see tschermakite, pargasite [sensu lato] and hastingsite [sensu lato])

pectolite: inosilicates (wollastonite group [pyroxenoid]) (also see murakamiite)

phenakite: nesosilicates

“phengite”: see muscovite and aluminoceladonite

phlogopite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group) (also see biotite)

piemontite: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (epidote group)

“plagioclase”: see individual species/varieties, such as albite, anorthite and “andesine”

polylithionite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group)

potassic-arfvedsonite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see arfvedsonite [sensu lato], eckermannite [sensu lato] and riebeckite)

potassic-magnesio-arfvedsonite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see arfvedsonite [sensu lato], eckermannite [sensu lato] and riebeckite)

potassic-magnesio-hastingsite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see pargasite [sensu lato] and hastingsite [sensu lato])

povondraite: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

prismatine: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (kornerupine group)

proto-ferro-suenoite: inosilicates (amphibole group)

“proto-mangano-ferro-anthophyllite”: see proto-ferro-suenoite

pumpellyite group: see individual species, such as shuiskite

pyrochlore group: see individual species, such as hydroxycalciopyrochlore

pyrope: nesosilicates (garnet group)

pyrophyllite: [T-Oct-T] phyllosilicates (talc/pyrophyllite group)

pyrosmalite-(Mn): phyllosilicates (pyrosmalite group)

pyroxene group: see individual orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene species

pyroxmangite: inosilicates (pyroxmangite group [pyroxenoid])

quartz: tectosilicates

reedmergnerite: tectosilicates (feldspar group)

rhodochrosite: non-silicates (carbonate) (also see the other rhombohedral carbonates)

rhodonite: inosilicates (rhodonite group [pyroxenoid])

richterite: end-member richterite is not yet featured, but see fluoro-richterite

riebeckite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see glaucophane and arfvedsonite [sensu lato])

rutile: non-silicates (oxide)

sakhaite: non-silicates (borate)

sanbornite: phyllosilicates

sanidine: tectosilicates (feldspar group [“K-feldspar”]) (also see microcline and orthoclase)

sapphirine: branched inosilicates (aenignatite group)

scapolite group: see marialite and meionite

schäferite: non-silicates (vanadate [garnet supergroup])

scorzalite: non-silicates (phosphate)

serandite: inosilicates (wollastonite group [pyroxenoid])

serendibite: branched inosilicates (aenignatite group)

“sericite”: see muscovite and aluminoceladonite

shuiskite-(Mg): mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (pumpellyite group)

siderite: non-silicates (carbonate) (also see the other rhombohedral carbonates)

sillimanite: nesosilicates

“sodic-gedrite”: inosilicates (amphibole group)

sogdianite: cyclosilicates (osumilite group) (the sample featured here has a composition halfway along the sogdianite-sugilite join; also see aluminosugilite and sugilite)

spessartine: nesosilicates (garnet group) (also see pyrope and almandine)

“sphene”: see titanite

spinel: non-silicates (oxide [spinel group]) (also see additional species in the spinel group, such as hercynite and gahnite)

spurrite: nesosilicates

srebrodolskite: non-silicates (oxide [anion-deficient perovskites])

staurolite: nesosilicates

stichtite: non-silicates (carbonate)

stilbite: tectosilicates (zeolite group)

stilpnomelane: phyllosilicates

strontioruizite: larger noncyclic silicate clusters

sugilite: cyclosilicates (osumilite group) (also see aluminosugilite)

tadzhikite-(Ce): inosilicates (hellandite group)

tainiolite: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group)

talc: [T-Oct-T] phyllosilicates (talc/pyrophyllite group)

ternesite: nesosilicates

tinzenite: sorosilicates (axinite group)

titanite: nesosilicates

titantaramellite: cyclosilicates

tephroite: nesosilicates (olivine group)

“thulite”: see either clinozoisite or zoisite

tinaksite: inosilicates (“amphiboloid”)

“tirodite”: see clino-suenoite

tourmaline group: see individual species, such as dravite, foitite, uvite, oxy-schorl, oxy-dravite, “oxy-olenite”, oxy-chromium-dravite, lucchesiite and povondraite

tremolite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see actinolite)

triphylite: end-member triphyllite is not yet featured, but see “ferrisicklerite”, an alteration-derived intermediate composition along the triphylite-heterosite join

trolleite: non-silicates (phosphate)

tschermakite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see magnesio-hornblende and pargasite [sensu lato])

tugtupite: tectosilicates (helvine group [related to sodalite group])

ungarettiite: end-member ungarettiite is not yet featured, but see mangano-mangani-ungarettiite

ussingite: tectosilicates

uvarovite: nesosilicates (garnet group) (also see andradite, grossular and goldmanite)

uvite: cyclosilicates (tourmaline group)

“vanadoceladonite”: [T-Oct-T]-A phyllosilicates (mica group) (also see muscovite, aluminoceladonite, chromceladonite and celadonite [sensu lato])

västmanlandite-(Ce): mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (related to epidote group)

vesuvianite: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (vesuvianite group)

“violan”: see omphacite

“viridine”: see andalusite

vittinkiite: inosilicates (rhodonite group [pyroxenoid])

vivianite: non-silicates (phosphate)

wagnerite: non-silicates (phosphate)

warwickite: non-silicates (borate)

willemite: nesosilicates

winchite: inosilicates (amphibole group) (also see richterite [sensu lato] and barroisite)

wodginite: non-silicates (oxide)

wollastonite: inosilicates (wollastonite group [pyroxenoid])

ye’elimite: a Si-free all-[AlO4]-framework “tectosilicate” (sodalite group)

“yellow melilite” (to be further characterized): sorosilicates (melilite group)

yoderite: nesosilicates

yoshimuraite: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters

zeolite group: see individual species, such as stilbite and hsianghualite

zincite: non-silicates (oxide)

zircon: nesosilicates

zoisite: mixed noncyclic silicate clusters (related to epidote group)

zussmanite: phyllosilicates