Recommended abbreviations for studies on ore deposits Página 1 de 4

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Recommended abbreviations for studies on ore deposits

v.21 August 2002 (optimized for IE 6, NS 4.7 or NS 6.2)

PLEASE, SEND US YOUR COMMENTS, SPECIALLY ON THE ABBREVIATIONS MARKED WITH "?"

please send your comments or criticisms to

lluis.fontbote@terre.unige.ch or pierre.perroud@terre.unige.ch

Most ore minerals are abbreviated according to Chace (1956) and most gangue minerals according to
Kretz (1983). Following Chace (1956) and the dominant use in publications on economic geology, and in
contrast to Kretz (1983), mineral abbreviations are written in lowercase. Native elements are capitalized.

Abbreviations should be logical and consistent (we prefer zo and czo, py and apy) and reflect established
use (ab, an). They should also respect IMA English names (nk nickeline; not nc niccolite), and, as much as
possible, etymology, prefixes and suffixes (digenite dg).

Mineral abbreviations should not coincide with atomics symbols if the native element does occur in nature
(arsenopyrite: asp and not as, calcite: cal and not ca).

Sorted by abbreviation
Sorted by mineral name
ABBREV. MINERAL
MINERAL NAME ABBREV.
NAME

actinolite act
albite ab
albite ab
actinolite act
allanite all
andradite ad, adr (?)
almandine alm
allanite all
alunite alu, alun (?)
almandine alm
amphibole (group) amph
alunite alu, alun (?)
andalusite and, anda (?)
amphibole (group) amph
andesine andes
anorthite an
andradite ad, adr (?)
andalusite and, anda (?)
anhydrite anh
andesine andes
ankerite ank
anhydrite anh
anorthite an
ankerite ank
antimonite = stibnite stbn
apatite (group) ap
apatite (group) ap
arsenopyrite asp, apy (?)
arsenopyrite asp, apy (?)
augite aug
augite aug
azurite az
azurite az
barite bar
barite bar
bornite bn
biotite bt, bio (?)
boulangerite boul
blende = sphalerite sl, sph (?)
brucite brc
bornite bn
biotite bt, bio (?)
boulangerite boul
bytownite byt

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Recommended abbreviations for studies on ore deposits Página 2 de 4

brucite brc calcite cal

bytownite byt carrollite car, carr (?)
calcite cal chalcocite cc
carrollite car, carr (?) chlorite (group) chl
cassiterite cst, cas (?) chromite chr
celestite cls cinnabar ci
chalcocite cc celestite cls
chalcopyrite cp cobaltite cob
chlorite (group) chl chalcopyrite cp
chromite chr clinopyroxene (series) cpx
cinnabar ci cristobalite crs
clinopyroxene (series) cpx cassiterite cst, cas (?)
clinozoisite czo cubanite cub
cobaltite cob cuprite cup
covellite cv covellite cv
cristobalite crs clinozoisite czo
cubanite cub digenite dg
cuprite cup diopside dio, di (?)
diaspore dsp dolomite dol
digenite dg diaspore dsp
diopside dio, di (?) electrum el
dolomite dol enargite enr
electrum el enstatite ens
enargite enr epidote ep
enstatite ens fayalite fa
epidote ep fahlore (tn-td) fh
fahlore (tn-td) fh fluorite fl
fayalite fa forsterite fo
feldspar (group) fs, fds (?) ferberite frb, fb (?)
ferberite frb, fb (?) feldspar (group) fs, fds (?)
fluorite fl gangue gg
forsterite fo galena gn
galena gn goethite goe
gangue gg graphite graph (?)
garnet (group) grt, gar (?) grossular grs, gr (?)
goethite goe garnet (group) grt, gar (?)
graphite graph (?) grunerite gru
grossular grs, gr (?) gypsum gy
grunerite gru hornblende hbl
gypsum gy hedenbergite hd
hübnerite hub, hu (?) halite hl
halite hl hematite hm
hedenbergite hd hübnerite hub, hu (?)
hematite hm illite ill
hornblende hbl ilmenite ilm
illite ill ilvaite ilv
ilmenite ilm intermediate solid solution iss
ilvaite ilv jamesonite jm
intermediate solid solution iss kaolinite kao
jamesonite jm K-feldspar (series) kfs, k-fs, k-fds
K-feldspar (series) kfs, k-fs, k-fds (?)
(?) kyanite ky
kaolinite kao labradorite lab
kyanite ky limonite lm
löllingite lol, loel (?) linnaeite ln, lin (?)

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labradorite lab löllingite lol, loel (?)

limonite lm malachite mal
linnaeite ln, lin (?) microcline mc
maghemite mgh maghemite mgh
magnesite mgs magnesite mgs
magnetite mt mica (group) mic
malachite mal montmorillonite mm
marcasite mr, mrc (?) monazite mnz
mica (group) mic molybdenite mo
microcline mc marcasite mr, mrc (?)
molybdenite mo muscovite ms
monazite mnz monosulfide solution mss
monosulfide solution mss magnetite mt
montmorillonite mm nepheline ne
muscovite ms nickeline (niccolite) nk
nepheline ne olivine (group) ol
nickeline (niccolite) nk oligoclase olg
oligoclase olg orthopyroxene (series) opx
olivine (group) ol orthoclase or
orpiment orp orpiment orp
orthoclase or platinum group elements PGE
orthopyroxene (series) opx phlogopite phl
paragonite prg plagioclase (series) plag, pg, pl (?)
pentlandite pn pentlandite pn
phlogopite phl pyrrhotite po
plagioclase (series) plag, pg, pl (?) proustite pr
platinum group elements PGE paragonite prg
proustite pr pyrophyllite prl
pyrargyrite pyrg pyroxene (group) px
pyrite py pyrite py
pyrophyllite prl pyrargyrite pyrg
pyroxene (group) px quartz qtz, qz (?)
pyrrhotite po rhodochrosite rdc
quartz qtz, qz (?) rhodonite rdn
rare earth elements REE rare earth elements REE
realgar rlg, rg (?) resin (impregnation res
resin (impregnation res material)
material) realgar rlg, rg (?)
rhodochrosite rdc rutile rt
rhodonite rdn sanidine sa
rutile rt salite sal
salite sal scheelite sch
sanidine sa scapolite (group) scp
scapolite (group) scp siderite sd
scheelite sch sericite ser
sericite ser sulfosalts (class) sfs
serpentine (group) srp skutterudite skut
siderite sd sphalerite sl, sph (?)
skutterudite skut blende = sphalerite sl, sph (?)
solid solution ss spinel spi
sphalerite sl, sph (?) serpentine (group) srp
sphene (titanite) ttn solid solution ss
spinel spi stibnite stbn
stibnite stbn antimonite = stibnite stbn
stilbite stlb stilbite stlb

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strontianite str strontianite str

sulfosalts (class) sfs tetrahedrite td, tt, th (?)
talc tlc talc tlc
tennantite tn tennantite tn
tetrahedrite td, tt, th (?) tridymite trd
titanite ttn tremolite trm
tremolite trm troilite tro
tridymite trd sphene (titanite) ttn
troilite tro titanite ttn
uraninite ur uraninite ur
vermiculite vrm vermiculite vrm
wolframite (fb-hub) wf wolframite (fb-hub) wf
wollastonite wo wollastonite wo
zeolite (group) zeo zeolite (group) zeo
zircon zr zoisite zo
zoisite zo zircon zr

Comments:

- Bold: main terms for ore microscopy

- Italics: others than mineral names approved by IMA

- For stibnite the abbreviation stbn is proposed because stb is used for stilbite by Kretz
(1983).

- Each mineral has a direct link to the mineral database Athena.

References:

Chace (1956), Abbreviations in field and mine geological mapping, Economic Geology, v. 51,
p. 712-723.

Kretz, R. (1983), Symbols for rock-forming minerals, American Mineralogist, v.68, p.277-279.

Acknowledgements:

Contributions of Y. Haeberlin (Geneva), R. Marschik (Freiberg), M. Boni (Napoli), M. and M.

Shimizu (Toyohama), J. Ellis (Montevideo), F. Tornos (Salamanca), L. Meinert (WSU), N.
Cook (NGU), are acknowledged.

[Ore Deposits ] [Dept Mineralogy]

[University of Geneva] [Earth Sciences] [Geology Department] [Mineralogy Department]

[Institut F.-A. FOREL] [Diplôme en sciences naturelles de l'environnement] [ELSTE]
[SWISS GEOWEB] [Other Earth Sciences Links] [Mineral search] [Web search]

Send comments on page to Pierre.Perroud@terre.unige.ch

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