List of Minerals That Start With The Letter “A”

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Minerals That Start With A

Below is a comprehensive list of minerals that start with the letter “a” as well as a short description of each mineral.

Abelsonite

Abelsonite was first found in 1969 in the state of Utah. Abelsonite is semitransparent in appearance and may be pink-purple, dark greyish purple, light purplish red, or reddish brown. The mineral may be found as thin laths, plates, or tiny aggregates up to 1 cm in size (0.39 in).

Abernathyite

Abernathyite is a clear yellow mineral that forms tabular crystals up to 3 millimeters in size (0.12 in). On 001, the mineral exhibits a single flawless cleavage. Abernathyite fluoresces yellow-green in UV light, both longwave and shortwave. The mineral is radioactive due to its uranium concentration.

Acanthite

Acanthite is a silver mineral found in relatively low-temperature hydrothermal veins and supergene enrichment zones. It is found with pyrargyrite, proustite, polybasite, stephanite, aguilarite, galena, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, calcite, and quartz. The term is derived from the Greek word “akantha,” which means “thorn or arrow,” and refers to the crystal form.

Adamite

Pure adamite is colorless, however owing to Iron compound mixing, it typically has a yellow hue. Green tints are also seen and are associated with copper substitutions in the mineral structure. Adamite is a popular among mineral collectors due to its yellow to brilliant lime-green tinted crystals and druze, as well as its unique fluorescence. Adamite can be found in    Mapimi, Durango, Mexico; Greece as well as in California and Utah.

Aegirine

Aegirine is found in the form of dark green monoclinic prismatic crystals. It has a beautiful cleavage and a glossy brilliance. It has a Mohs hardness of 5 to 6 and a specific gravity of 3.2 to 3.4 and is sometimes used as a gemstone.

Aerinite

Aerinite is an extremely uncommon mineral. It has a black, vitreous sheen, a specific gravity of 2.48, and a hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale. Aerinite was used as a blue pigment in Romanesque paintings in numerous churches across Spain and France, including the most renowned, the Pantocrator in the cathedral of San Clemente de Tahull.

Afghanite

Afghanite is an extremely rare and highly complicated mineral with an even more unique crystal structure. It may form long prismatic crystals, double-terminated bipyramid crystals, or crusts atop a matrix (usually calcite or marble). This mineral’s hue varies from light sky blue to dark navy, although it may also seem colorless and translucent. Since the discovery of Afghanite over 50 years ago, deposits have been discovered in Canada, Russia, Tajikistan, Germany, Italy, and the United States. Afghanite is also used as a gemstone.

Agrellite

Agrellite is a mineral found in Quebec, Canada and a few other locations. Agrellite fluoresces pink under both shortwave and longwave UV light. It is named after Stuart Olof Agrell.

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