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A mineraloid is a mineral
Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
-like substance that does not demonstrate crystallinity
Crystallinity

Crystallinity refers to the degree of structural order in a solid. In a crystal, the atoms or molecules are arranged in a regular, periodic manner....
. Mineraloids possess chemical compositions that vary beyond the generally accepted ranges for specific minerals. For example, obsidian
Obsidian

Obsidian is a naturally occurring glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools without crystal growth....
 is an amorphous glass
Glass

Glass generally refers to a Hardness, brittle, transparency amorphous solid, such as that used for windows, many Glass Bottles, or eyewear, including, but not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovite , or aluminium oxynitride....
 and not a crystal
Crystal

A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions....
. Jet
Jet (lignite)

Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure....
 is derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure. Opal
Opal

Opal is a mineraloid gel which is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of Rock , being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, and basalt....
 is another mineraloid because of its non-crystal nature. Pearl
Pearl

A pearl is a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue of a living animal shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of mollusks, a pearl is made up of of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers....
s, considered by some to be a mineral because of the presence of calcium carbonate crystals within their structure, would be better considered a mineraloid because the crystals are bonded by an organic material and there is no definite proportion of the components.








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Encyclopedia


A mineraloid is a mineral
Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
-like substance that does not demonstrate crystallinity
Crystallinity

Crystallinity refers to the degree of structural order in a solid. In a crystal, the atoms or molecules are arranged in a regular, periodic manner....
. Mineraloids possess chemical compositions that vary beyond the generally accepted ranges for specific minerals. For example, obsidian
Obsidian

Obsidian is a naturally occurring glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools without crystal growth....
 is an amorphous glass
Glass

Glass generally refers to a Hardness, brittle, transparency amorphous solid, such as that used for windows, many Glass Bottles, or eyewear, including, but not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovite , or aluminium oxynitride....
 and not a crystal
Crystal

A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions....
. Jet
Jet (lignite)

Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure....
 is derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure. Opal
Opal

Opal is a mineraloid gel which is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of Rock , being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, and basalt....
 is another mineraloid because of its non-crystal nature. Pearl
Pearl

A pearl is a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue of a living animal shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of mollusks, a pearl is made up of of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers....
s, considered by some to be a mineral because of the presence of calcium carbonate crystals within their structure, would be better considered a mineraloid because the crystals are bonded by an organic material and there is no definite proportion of the components.

Common Mineraloids


  • Amber
    Amber

    Amber is fossil tree resin, which is appreciated for its color and beauty. Good quality amber is used for the manufacture of ornamental objects and jewelry....
    , organic, non-crystal structure.
  • Anthracite, a variety of coal, "hard coal."
  • Coal
    Coal

    Coal is a readily combustion black or brownish-black sedimentary rock. The harder forms, such as anthracite, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure....
    , organic, nonhomogeneous, and non-crystal structure.
  • Jet
    Jet (lignite)

    Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure....
    , not considered a true mineral due to organic, non-crystal nature, a mineraloid.
  • Lignite
    Lignite

    Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat....
    , a variety of coal, "Brown coal."
  • Limonite
    Limonite

    Limonite is an ore consisting in a mixture of hydrated iron oxide-hydroxide of varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO?nH2O, although this is not entirely accurate as limonite often contains a varying amount of oxide compared to hydroxide....
    , amorphous hydrated iron oxide, a mineraloid.
  • Obsidian
    Obsidian

    Obsidian is a naturally occurring glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools without crystal growth....
    , volcanic glass - non-crystal structure.
  • Opal
    Opal

    Opal is a mineraloid gel which is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of Rock , being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, and basalt....
    , non-crystal structure, a mineraloid.
  • Pearl
    Pearl

    A pearl is a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue of a living animal shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of mollusks, a pearl is made up of of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers....
    , often considered a mineral due to crystal components, but then not a mineral due to organic origin, probably should be a mineraloid.
  • Petroleum
    Petroleum

    Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid found in rock formations in the Earth consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds....
    , organic and liquid.
  • pyrobitumen, organic, nonhomogeous, non-crystal structure.
  • Vulcanite, vulcanize
    Vulcanization

    Vulcanization refers to a specific curing process of rubber involving high heat and the addition of sulfur or other equivalent curatives. It is a chemical process in which polymer molecules are linked to other polymer molecules by atomic bridges composed of sulfur atoms or carbon to carbon bonds....
    d natural or synthetic rubber, thus not a mineral due to organic composition, lack of crystal structure, and not naturally occurring.


See also

  • List of minerals
    List of minerals

    This is a List of minerals for which there are Wikipedia articles. Mineral variety names and mineraloids are to be listed after the valid minerals for each letter....
     - Mineraloids are listed after minerals in each alphabetically sorted section.