Maryland Minerals: S to Z

This is the  fourth and final part of our compendium for the Maryland Minerals website seeking to list all mineral species and varieties of species known to have occurred in Maryland. As in the previous three portions of that compenium, the name of any major mineral family and/or group to which a species or variety belongs appears in parenthesis next to the species/variety name. Duly noted on the list also are a relatively few questionable or unverified occurrences. Also included and similarly noted are the names of species that the I.M.A. has since discredited. Images of Maryland-collected specimens arranged by county for many of these species can be viewed at the website's Maryland-collected minerals slideshow.


For nearly all of information in this compendium, we are grateful to the following sources:

Minerals of Maryland by Charles Ostrander and Walter E. Price, Jr., Natural History Society of Maryland, 1940
Minerals of the Washington, D.C. Area by Lawrence R. Bernstein, Maryland Geological Survey, 1980
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Database.
Mindat

Continuing through the end of the alphabet, subsequent posts will cover the names of additional minerals that have been collected in Maryland.

Samarskite                                                                                
Saponite  ?
Scapolite (member of Scapolite Group)
Scheelite
Scolecite
Selenite (see Gypsum)
Sepiolite
Sericite (synonym for mucscovite)
Siderite
Siegenite (member Linnaeite Group)
Sillimanite
Silver
Smagardite (var. Actinolite, a member of Amphibole Group)
Smithsonite
Soapstone (see Talc)
Spessartine (Garnet Group)
Sphalerite
Spherosiderite

Sphene (synonym of Titanite, a member of Titanite Group) Spinel (Member of Spinel Group)
Staurolite
Stellerite
Stibiconite (Member of Romeite Group)
Stibnite
Stilbite (Member of Zeolite Group)
Stilpnomelane
Strengite
Strontianite
Strunzite (Member of Strunzite Group)
Succinite (synonym for Amber)
Sulfur
Talc
Tantalite (Discredited by IMA, see Columbite)
Tenorite
Tetradymite (Member of Tetradymite Group)
Tetrahedrite
Thulite (var. of Zoisite)
Thuringite  (a ferroan varitey of Chamosite)
Titanite (a member of Titanite Group)
Todorochite
Topaz
Torbernite
Tourmaline (synonymous with Tourmaline Group)
Tremolite (Member of Tremolite-Actinolite Series within Amphibole Group)
Turgite (a mixture of Goethite and Hematite-rejected by IMA)
Uralite
Uraninite (?)
Vermiculite (Alteration product of Mica that's a member of  Montmorillonite-Vermiculite Group)
Vesuvianite
Vivianite

Wad (Generic name for various manganese Oxides)
Water
Wavellite
Wernerite (a variety of Scapolite)
Williamsite (a variety of Antigorite a member of Serpentine Group)
Withamite (a variety of Epidote)
Wollastonite (a member of Wollastonite Group)
Wurtzite (Member of Wurtzite Group)
Xenotime
Xonotlite (Member of Xonotlite Group)
Zaratite
Zeolite Family
Zinnwaldite (Member of Mica Group)
Zircon
Zoisite

Maryland Minerals: M to P

This is the third part of  our compendium for the Maryland Minerals website seeking to list all mineral species and varieties of species known to have occurred in  Maryland. As in the previous two portions of that compenium, the  name of any major mineral family and/or group to which a species or variety belongs appears in parenthesis next to the species/variety name. Duly noted on the list also are a relatively few questionable or unverified occurrences.  Also included and similarly noted are the names of  species that the I.M.A. has since discredited. Images of Maryland-collected specimens arranged by county for many of these species can be viewed at the website's  Maryland-collected minerals slideshow.

For nearly all of  information in this compendium, we are grateful to the following sources:

• Minerals of Maryland by Charles Ostrander and Walter E. Price, Jr.,  Natural History Society of Maryland, 1940
• Minerals of the Washington, D.C. Area by Lawrence R. Bernstein, Maryland Geological Survey, 1980
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Database.
• Mindat

Continuing through the end of the alphabet, subsequent posts will cover the names of additional minerals that have been collected in Maryland.

Mackinawite
Magnesioferrite (Member of Spinel Group)
Magnesite

Magnetite (Member of Spinel;Group)
Malachite
Malacolite (rarely used synonym for Diopside)
Manganite
Manganocalcite (synonym for Manganoan Calcite)
Marcasite
Margarite (member of Mica Group)

Marmolite (synonym for both Chrisotile and Lizardite of Serpentine Group)
Meerschaum (German synonym for Sepiolite)
Melaconite (synonum of Tenorite)
Melanterite (principal species of Melanterite Group)
Metatorbernite (Member of Meta-autunite Group)
Mica Family
Microcline  Member of Feldspar Group)
Microlite (Member of Pyrochlore Supergroup)
Millerite
Mizzonite (Synonym  of Marialite, a member of scapolite group)
Molybdenite- First identified in the United States at Jones Falls Quarries
Monazite (member of Monazite Group)
Moonstone (variety of Microcline and sometimes Orthoclase-both members of Feldspar Group)
Moss Agate (variety of Chalcedony, a variety of Quartz)
Mountain Leather (a leathery variety of Asbestos)
Muscovite (member of Mica Group)
Natrolite (member of Zeolite Group)
Niccoline

Niccolite (Italian name for Niccoline)
Nontronite (Member of Smectite Group)
Oligoclase (Member of Feldspar Group)
Olivine (Member of Olivine Group)
Opal
Ophicalcite (same as Ophiolite or Verde Antique)
Orthoclase (Member of Feldspar Group)
Ottrelite (Member of Chloritoid Group)
Owenite (a variety of Antigorite a member of the Serpentine Family)
Paragonite (Member of Mica Group)
Pectolite (a member of the Wollastonite Group)

Pennine (a Variety of Clinochlore)

Phenakite
Phillipsite
Phlogopite (Member of Mica Group)
Picotite (Variety of Hercynite rejected as such by IMA is actually Chromian Hercynite)
Picrolite (Variety of Antigorite, a member of Serpentine Family)
Piedmonite (Member of Epidote Group)
Pigeonite (Member of Pyroxene Group)
Plaglioclase Family (Series member of Feldspar Group)
Platinum
Pleonaste (a variety of Spinel)
Porcellophite (synonym for Antigorite, a member of Serpentine Family
Prochlorite (Synonym of Clinochlore)
Prehnite
Psilomelane (can refer to various  manganese black oxides such as Pyrolusite or Manganite)
Pseudomalachite
Pyrite (Member of Pyrite Group)
Pyrolusite
Pyromorphite
Pyrope (Member of Garnet Group)
Pyrophyllite (Member of Pyrophyllite -Talc Group)
Pyroxene Family
Pyrrhotite
Quartz

Maryland Minerals: D to L

This is the second part of  our  compendium for the Maryland Minerals website seeking to list all mineral species and varieties of species known to have occurred in  Maryland. As in the first A to C portion, the  name of any major mineral family to which a species or variety belongs appears in parenthesis next to the species/variety name. Duly noted on the list also are a relatively few questionable or unverified occurrences.  Also included and similarly noted are the names of  species that the I.M.A. has since discredited. Images of Maryland-collected specimens arranged by county for many of these species are at the website's  Maryland-collected minerals slideshow.

For nearly all of  information in this compendium, we are grateful to the following sources.

• Minerals of Maryland by Charles Ostrander and Walter E. Price, Jr.,  Natural History Society of Maryland, 1940
• Minerals of the Washington, D.C. Area by Lawrence R. Bernstein, Maryland Geological Survey, 1980
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Database.
• Mindat

Continuing through the end of the alphabet, subsequent posts will cover the names of additional minerals that have been collected in Maryland.

Here is the list from D to F:

Deweylite

Dickite

Diopside
Dolomite
Dravite (member of Tourmaline Group)

Dumortierite

Electrum

Enstatite

Epidote (Member of Epidote Group)

Erythrite

Fibrolite (variety of Sillimanite)

Flint (variety of Quartz)
Fluorite
Fluorapatite

Franklinite

Fuchsite (var. of Muscovite, a member of Mica Group)

Gahnite

Galena

Garnierite

Genthite

Garnierite

Genthite 

Glauconite (member of Mica Group)

Glaucophane (member of Amphibole Group)

Goethite

Gold

Graphite

Grossular (member of Garnet Group)
Gymnite (see Deweylite)

Gypsum

Halite

Halloysite (member of Serpentine Group)

Harmotome (member of Zeolite Group)

Hematite

Hemimorphite

Hessonite (var. of Grossular, a member of Garnet Family

Heulandite (Member of Zeolite Group)

Hisingerite (?)

Hornblende
Huntite
Hyalite (synonym of Opal-AN)

Hydromagnesite

Hydrotalcite (member of hydtrotalcite group)
Hydrozincite

Hyspersthene (name discredited by IMA)

Ice

Iceland Spar (a distinct form of Calcite)
Idaite
Jarosite

Idocrase (synonym for Vesuvianite)

Ilmenite (member of Ilmenite Group)

Iron (in meteorites)

Jasper (var. of Chalcedony (var. of Quartz)

Jefferisite (synonym for Vermiculite)

Kammererite (synonym for Chromian Clinochlore)

Kaolinite

Kyanite

Labradorite (member of Feldspar Group)
Lanthanite

Laumontite (member of Zeolite Group)
Leucoxene

Limonite
Linarite

Linnaeite (member of Linnaeite Group)
Lipscombite
Ludjibaite

          

Maryland Minerals: A to C

This is the first part of a  compendium for the Maryland Minerals website seeking to list all mineral species and varieties of species known to have occurred in  Maryland. The name of any major mineral family to which a species or variety belongs appears in parenthesis next to the species/variety name. Duly noted on the list also are a relatively few questionable or unverified occurrences.  Also included and similarly noted are the names of  species that the I.M.A. has since discredited. Images of Maryland-collected specimens arranged by county for many of these species may be at the website's  Maryland-collected minerals slideshow.

For nearly all of  information in this compendium, we are grateful to the following sources.

• Minerals of Maryland by Charles Ostrander and Walter E. Price, Jr.,  Natural History Society of Maryland, 1940
• Minerals of the Washington, D.C. Area by Lawrence R. Bernstein, Maryland Geological Survey, 1980
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Database.
• Mindat

Continuing through the end of the alphabet, subsequent posts will cover the names of additional minerals that have been collected in Maryland. 

Here is the list from A to C:

Actinolite   (member of Amphibole Group)
Albite    (member of Feldspar Group)
Allanite 
Almandine  (member of Garnet Group)

Alum

Alunite 

Alunogen? 

Amazonite   (var. of Microcline, a member of Feldspar Group)
Amber 

Amesite  

Amethyst   (var. of quartz)
Analcime
Anatase
Andalusite
Andradite   (member of Garnet Group)  

Anglesite

Ankerite

Annite (member of Mica Group)

Anorthite   (member of Feldspar Group;  

Anorthoclase   (member of Feldspar Group)

Anthophyllite   (member of Amphibole Group)

Antigorite   (member of Serpentine Group)

Anthophyllite  (member of Amphibole Group)
Apatite
Apophyllite 

Aragonite                                                                                                        

Arfvedsonite (member of the Amphibole Group)
Argentiferous  Galena (var. of Galena)

Asbestos  (a name for finely fibrous Amphibole Group and Serpentine Group members)

Augite  (member of the Pyroxene Group) \
Aurichalcite

Autunite 

Axinite  (member of the Axinite Group)  

Azovskite  (according to Mindat, a species of questionable status, possibly identical to Delvauxite) and reported via oral conversation only.

Barite

Bastite (serpentine group variety relating to pseudomorphs after Enstatite)

Beaumontite (early name and/or synonymb for Heulandite, member of Zeolite Group)

Beidellite

Bertrandite
Beryl 
Biotite (member of Mica Group discredited by the I.M.A.)
Bornite
Breunnerite   (var. of Ferroan Magesite)

Brochantite

Bronzite   (var. of Enstatite

Brookite

Brucite

Byssolite  (member of Amphibole Group)

Bytownite   (variety of Anorthite, a member of Feldspar Group)

Cacoxenite

Calamine (an informal name known to refer to hemimorphite, smithsonite, and hydrozincite)

Calcite 

Carnelian (a var. of Chalcedony, which is a variety of Quartz)

Carrollite (member of Linnaeite Group)

Cassiterite

Celestine

Cerussite

Chabazite (Member of Zeolite Group)

Chalcanthite

Chalcedony (var. of Quartz)

Chalcocite

Chalcopyrite

Chalcotrichite (var. of Cuprite)
Chamosite

Chert  (var. of Chalcedony, which is a variety of Quartz)

Chlorite Group

Chlroritoid

Chrome Tourmaline (var. of Tourmaline)

Chromite

Chrysocolla

Chrysolite (synonym for Olivine and/or Prehnite)

Chrysotile (Member of Serpentine Group)

Cinnabar

Citrine (var. of Quartz)

Cleavelandite (var. of Albite,  a member of Feldspar Group)

Clinochlore (Member of Chlorite Group)

Clinozoisite (member of Epidote Group)

Coalingite 

Cobaltiferrous Gahnite (see Gahnite)

Coccolite (synonym for Diopside)

Collophane (carbonate rich var. Apatite found in fossil bone)
Columbite (member of Columbite Group)

Copper (Native);

Corundophilite (discredited by the I.M.A., member of Chlorite Group)

Corundum

Covellite

Cummingtonite   (member of Amphibole Group) 
Cuprite