What is Mineraloid?
A naturally occurring, usually inorganic substance that is not considered to be a mineral because it does not have proper crystal structure.
Five criteria to be considered a substance as a mineral:
- Naturally occurring (formed by geological process)
- Inorganic
- Solid
- Ordered atomic structure
- Characteristic chemical composition (can vary within a limited range)
Mercury, a liquid, is a traditional exception to the crystallinity rule. Water is not a mineral (although ice is), and crystalline biologic and artificial materials are not minerals.
What is the Difference Between a Mineral and a Mineraloid?
Minerals have the “ordered atomic structure” and are “crystalline” whereas mineraloids are “amorphous.” It means mineraloid does not have the “periodically repeating arrangement of atoms”. Some mineraloids also does not fulfill the criteria of the “definite chemical composition” which is required to be a mineral.
Mineraloids are known as gel mineral.
Examples of Mineraloid
- Opal, non-crystalline hydrated silica silicon dioxide
- Amber, non-crystalline structure, organic
- Obsidian, volcanic glass – non-crystalline structure, a silica rich glass
- Tektites – meteoritic silica rich glass
- Sideromelane – a vitreous basaltic volcanic glass
- Lechatelierite – nearly pure silica glass
- Limonite – a mixture of oxides and hydroxides of iron
- Pearl – organically produced carbonate
- Petroleum, liquid, organic
- Pyrobitumen – amorphous fossilized petroleum (noncrystalline, organic)
- Shungite – black, lustrous, more than 98 weight per cent of carbon
A naturally occurring, usually inorganic substance that is not considered to be a mineral because it does not have proper crystal structure.
Five criteria to be considered a substance as a mineral:
- Naturally occurring (formed by geological process)
- Inorganic
- Solid
- Ordered atomic structure
- Characteristic chemical composition (can vary within a limited range)
Mercury, a liquid, is a traditional exception to the crystallinity rule. Water is not a mineral (although ice is), and crystalline biologic and artificial materials are not minerals.
What is the Difference Between a Mineral and a Mineraloid?
Minerals have the “ordered atomic structure” and are “crystalline” whereas mineraloids are “amorphous.” It means mineraloid does not have the “periodically repeating arrangement of atoms”. Some mineraloids also does not fulfill the criteria of the “definite chemical composition” which is required to be a mineral.
Mineraloids are known as gel mineral.
Examples of Mineraloid
- Opal, non-crystalline hydrated silica silicon dioxide
- Amber, non-crystalline structure, organic
- Obsidian, volcanic glass – non-crystalline structure, a silica rich glass
- Tektites – meteoritic silica rich glass
- Sideromelane – a vitreous basaltic volcanic glass
- Lechatelierite – nearly pure silica glass
- Limonite – a mixture of oxides and hydroxides of iron
- Pearl – organically produced carbonate
- Petroleum, liquid, organic
- Pyrobitumen – amorphous fossilized petroleum (noncrystalline, organic)
- Shungite – black, lustrous, more than 98 weight per cent of carbon