Mineral symbols (text abbreviations) are used to abbreviate

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...

groups, subgroups, and species, just as lettered symbols are used for the

chemical element A chemical element is a species of atoms that have a given number of protons in their nuclei, including the pure substance consisting only of that species. Unlike chemical compounds, chemical elements cannot be broken down into simpler sub ...

s. The first set of commonly used mineral symbols was published in 1983 and covered the common rock-forming minerals using 192 two- or three-lettered symbols. These type of symbols are referred to as Kretz symbols. More extensive lists were subsequently made available in the form of publicationsWarr, L.N. (2020). Recommended abbreviations for the names of clay minerals and associated phases. ''Clay Minerals'', 55, 261–264.
/ref> or posted on journal webpages. A comprehensive list of more than 5,700 IMA-CNMNC approved symbols (referred to as IMA symbols) compiled by L.N. Warr was published in volume 85 (issue 3) of th
''Mineralogical Magazine''
(2021).Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA-CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), June 2021, 291 - 320
/ref> These symbols are listed alphabetically in the tables below. The approved listings are compatible with the system used to symbolize the elements, 30 of which occur as minerals. Mineral symbols are most commonly represented by three-lettered text symbols, although one-, two- and four-lettered symbols also exist. Four methods of nomenclature are used: # The initial letters of a name, for example: cyanotrichite: Cya and mitscherlichite: Mits. # A combination considered characteristic of the mineral name, for example: ewingite: Ewg and neighborite: Nbo. # A selection of letters expressing components of the name, for example: adranosite = Arn and hellandite: Hld. # Lettered abbreviations when prefixes are present, for example: chlorocalcite = Ccal and nickelzippeite: Nizip. New minerals approved by the

International Mineralogical Association Founded in 1958, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) is an international group of 40 national societies. The goal is to promote the science of mineralogy and to standardize the nomenclature of the 5000 plus known mineral species. Th ...

(IMA-CNMNC) are allocated unique symbols consistent with the main listing. New symbols are announced in the newsletters of the IMA-CNMNC. An updated "mineral symbol picker" list is also available for checking on the availability of symbols prior to submission for approval.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z - Additional symbols

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mineral symbols Lists of abbreviations Geology-related lists Symbols