Minerals having the luster of metals such as gold and copper, and minerals that contain metals, particularly valuable metals, are classed as metallic.
| A white metallic element, malleable and capable of a high degree of polish. Resists corrosion and has the highest heat and electrical conductivity of any substance. |
| A blackish, lead-gray silver sulfide; monoclinic, containing 87% silver. |
 |
| An important ore of copper and silver; blackish-gray to black; streak black to brown. |
| A common element, reddish in color, and one of the best conductors of electricity and heat. |
| A yellow sulfide of copper and iron, it is an important ore of copper. |
| An isometric mineral; an ore of copper; brownish-red, but tarnishes to an iridescent purple when fractured. |
| A dark colored ore with a metallic luster; it is an important copper ore. |
| A lead-gray mineral, having metallic luster; it is the principal ore of lead, often also containing silver. |
| A hydrated sulfate of calcium, occurring naturally in sedimentary rocks; chalk. |
| A black iron oxide mineral present in iron ore. |
| An important iron ore; it is reddish in the earthy variety, or black and crystalline. |
| A hydrous oxide mineral of iron. |
| A black mineral with a metallic luster and an uneven fracture: it is the chief ore of chromium. |
 |
| A lustrous black mineral, an oxide of iron and titanium. |
| A lustrous, dark-red mineral, titanium dioxide, commonly found in prismatic crystals and usually containing some iron. Iron is a heavy, malleable, ductile, magnetic silver-white metal element; the most used of metals, and vital to biologic processes. |
 |
| An isometric mineral, the principal ore of nickel. |
| A scaly or foliated, lead-gray mineral, the chief ore of molybdenum. |
| Native tin dioxide, the chief ore of tin; it is brown or black, and is very hard and heavy. |
| A mineral, calcium tungstate, it is important as an ore of tungsten. |
| Mercuric sulfide, a heavy, bright-red mineral, the principal ore of mercury. As a red pigment, it is brilliant red, vermilion. |
| A lustrous, yellow mineral occurring abundantly as a native ore and serving principally as a source of sulfur in the manufacture of sulfuric acid. |
| A hard, brittle, monoclinic, silvery-white mineral, an important ore of arsenic. |
| The claylike ore, mainly hydrated aluminum oxide, from which aluminum is obtained. |
|
 |
Minerals that lack properties such as bright luster, hardness, density; or that are not good conductors of heat and electricity are classed as nonmetallic.
| Fine-grained, natural, earthy material, pliable when moist but hard when baked or fired. |
 |
| A family of colored or transparent mineral silicates crystallizing in monoclinic forms that readily separate into very thin leaves. |
| A soft, black, lustrous form of carbon found in nature; used widely in lead pencils, lubricants, and electrodes. |
| A hydrated sulfate of calcium, occurring naturally in sedimentary rocks and used for making plaster and treating soil. |
| Any of several grayish amphiboles or similar minerals that separate into long, threadlike fibers, often resistant to chemicals, used in fireproofing materials. |
| A very soft, usually massive and foliated mineral, magnesium silicate, used to make talcum powder. |
| A white, unusually heavy, orthorhombic mineral composed mainly of barium sulfate; chief source of barium. |
| Substances containing potassium, derived from natural brines and other distillate sources. |
| A salt of nitric acid containing the monovalent, negative radical N03. |
| A pale-yellow, nonmetallic chemical element found in crystalline or amorphous form. |
| Native sodium chloride; rock salt. |
| A transparent, crystalline mineral-calcium fluoride-having many colors and perfect cleavage, used as a flux in glass making. |
| Sodium borate, a white, anhydrous, crystalline salt with an alkaline taste, used as a flux in manufacturing glass, soaps, antiseptics, enamel, and artificial gems. |
| A white, tasteless powder, magnesium, oxide, used in insulation, firebrick; also used in antacids and laxatives. |
|
Common Metallic Minerals
Copyright © 2006 Arizona Mining Association. All rights reserved.