A mineral classification system based on chemical composition, categorizing minerals into 10 major classes.
Overview
Mineral Classification (Nickel-Strunz)
The Nickel-Strunz classification is a mineral classification system based on chemical composition, introduced by German mineralogist Karl Hugo Strunz in 1941. Based on the anion composition of minerals, it categorizes them into 10 classes: native elements, sulfides, halides, oxides, carbonates, borates, sulfates, phosphates, silicates, and organic compounds. This classification is officially supported by the IMA Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (CNMNC) and is widely used in mineralogical databases worldwide.
mineralogy
mineral classification
Strunz classification
chemical composition
IMA
crystallography
| code | slug | name | description | examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | native-elements | Native Elements | Minerals composed of single elements or their alloys. | ["Native Gold","Diamond","Native Copper","Sulfur"] |
| 02 | sulfides-sulfosalts | Sulfides and Sulfosalts | Minerals formed by the combination of sulfur with metallic elements. | ["Sphalerite","Galena","Pyrite","Enargite"] |
| 03 | halides | Halides | Minerals formed by the combination of halogen elements (fluorine, chlorine, etc.) with metals. | ["Fluorite","Halite","Chlorargyrite","Cryolite"] |
| 04 | oxides | Oxides | Minerals formed by the combination of oxygen with metallic elements, including hydroxides. | ["Spinel","Magnetite","Hematite","Corundum"] |
| 05 | carbonates-nitrates | Carbonates and Nitrates | Minerals containing carbonate or nitrate ions. | ["Calcite","Malachite","Dolomite","Siderite"] |
| 06 | borates | Borates | Minerals primarily composed of boron and oxygen. | ["Borax","Ulexite","Colemanite","Howlite"] |
| 07 | sulfates | Sulfates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | Minerals containing sulfate, chromate, molybdate, or tungstate ions. | ["Gypsum","Barite","Crocoite","Scheelite"] |
| 08 | phosphates-arsenates-vanadates | Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | Minerals containing phosphate, arsenate, or vanadate ions. | ["Apatite","Turquoise","Vanadinite","Mimetite"] |
| 09 | silicates | Silicates | The most diverse and abundant mineral group, primarily composed of silicon and oxygen. | ["Quartz","Feldspar","Mica","Tourmaline","Kaolinite"] |
| 10 | organic-compounds | Organic Compounds | Minerals primarily composed of organic compounds. | ["Mellite","Carpathite","Whewellite","Formicaite"] |