Mineraloid

The first usage of the term mineraloid substance was in 1909, by mineralogist and geologist Julian Niedzwiedzki, in identifying and describing amorphous substances that resemble minerals.

Examples

• Allophane, solid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
• Amber, non-crystalline structure, organic
• Anthracite or hard coal
• Bituminous coal
• Chlorophaeite
• Chrysocolla, solid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
• Deweylite, a mixture of serpentine and talc or stevensite
• Diatomite
• Ebonite, vulcanized natural or synthetic rubber (organic); lacks a crystalline structure
• Fulgurite, a variety of the mineraloid lechatelierite
• Jet, non-crystalline nature, organic (very compact coal)
• Lechatelierite, nearly pure silica glass, solid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
• Leonardite
• Libyan desert glass
• Lignite—brown coal
• Limonite, a mixture of oxides and hydroxides of iron
• Mercury, (as liquid)
• Moldavite
• Mookaite/Radiolarite
• Obsidian—volcanic glass; non-crystalline structure, a silica rich glass
• Opal, non-crystalline hydrated silica silicon dioxide, solid (IMA/CNMNC valid mineral name)
• Ozokerite, a black waxy hydrocarbon mixture
• Palagonite
• Pearl, organically produced carbonate
• Pele's hair
• Petroleum, liquid, organic
• Psilomelane
• Pumice, not counting those that are highly porphyritic such as from Mt. Pinatubo or those that have a high microlite content
• Pyrobitumen, amorphous fossilized petroleum (noncrystalline, organic)
• Shungite, black, lustrous, more than 98 weight percent of carbon
• Sideromelane, volcanic glass – non-crystalline, an iron rich, silica poor glass
• Tektite, meteoritic silica rich glass
• Water, e.g. as inclusions in other crystals, or in the form of rain, (as liquid)
• Zietrisikite, a mineral hydrocarbon wax