Recommended abbreviations for studies on ore deposits

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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 mineral name

MINERAL NAME

ABBREV.

actinolite
albite
allanite
almandine
alunite
amphibole (group)
andalusite
andesine
andradite
anhydrite
ankerite
anorthite
antimonite = stibnite
apatite (group)
arsenopyrite
augite
azurite
barite
biotite
blende = sphalerite
bornite
boulangerite

act
ab
all
alm
alu, alun (?)
amph
and, anda (?)
andes
ad, adr (?)
anh
ank
an
stbn
ap
asp, apy (?)
aug
az
bar
bt, bio (?)
sl, sph (?)
bn
boul

Sorted by abbreviation
ABBREV.

albite
actinolite
andradite
allanite
almandine
alunite
amphibole (group)
anorthite
andalusite
andesine
anhydrite
ankerite
apatite (group)
arsenopyrite
augite
azurite
barite
bornite
boulangerite
brucite
biotite
bytownite

http://www.unige.ch/sciences/terre/mineral/fontbote/opaques/ore_abbreviations.html

MINERAL
NAME
ab
act
ad, adr (?)
all
alm
alu, alun (?)
amph
an
and, anda (?)
andes
anh
ank
ap
asp, apy (?)
aug
az
bar
bn
boul
brc
bt, bio (?)
byt

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Recommended abbreviations for studies on ore deposits

brucite
bytownite
calcite
carrollite
cassiterite
celestite
chalcocite
chalcopyrite
chlorite (group)
chromite
cinnabar
clinopyroxene (series)
clinozoisite
cobaltite
covellite
cristobalite
cubanite
cuprite
diaspore
digenite
diopside
dolomite
electrum
enargite
enstatite
epidote
fahlore (tn-td)
fayalite
feldspar (group)
ferberite
fluorite
forsterite
galena
gangue
garnet (group)
goethite
graphite
grossular
grunerite
gypsum
hbnerite
halite
hedenbergite
hematite
hornblende
illite
ilmenite
ilvaite
intermediate solid solution
jamesonite
K-feldspar (series)
kaolinite
kyanite
lllingite

brc
byt
cal
car, carr (?)
cst, cas (?)
cls
cc
cp
chl
chr
ci
cpx
czo
cob
cv
crs
cub
cup
dsp
dg
dio, di (?)
dol
el
enr
ens
ep
fh
fa
fs, fds (?)
frb, fb (?)
fl
fo
gn
gg
grt, gar (?)
goe
graph (?)
grs, gr (?)
gru
gy
hub, hu (?)
hl
hd
hm
hbl
ill
ilm
ilv
iss
jm
kfs, k-fs, k-fds
(?)
kao
ky
lol, loel (?)

Pgina 2 de 4

calcite
carrollite
chalcocite
chlorite (group)
chromite
cinnabar
celestite
cobaltite
chalcopyrite
clinopyroxene (series)
cristobalite
cassiterite
cubanite
cuprite
covellite
clinozoisite
digenite
diopside
dolomite
diaspore
electrum
enargite
enstatite
epidote
fayalite
fahlore (tn-td)
fluorite
forsterite
ferberite
feldspar (group)
gangue
galena
goethite
graphite
grossular
garnet (group)
grunerite
gypsum
hornblende
hedenbergite
halite
hematite
hbnerite
illite
ilmenite
ilvaite
intermediate solid solution
jamesonite
kaolinite
K-feldspar (series)
kyanite
labradorite
limonite
linnaeite

http://www.unige.ch/sciences/terre/mineral/fontbote/opaques/ore_abbreviations.html

cal
car, carr (?)
cc
chl
chr
ci
cls
cob
cp
cpx
crs
cst, cas (?)
cub
cup
cv
czo
dg
dio, di (?)
dol
dsp
el
enr
ens
ep
fa
fh
fl
fo
frb, fb (?)
fs, fds (?)
gg
gn
goe
graph (?)
grs, gr (?)
grt, gar (?)
gru
gy
hbl
hd
hl
hm
hub, hu (?)
ill
ilm
ilv
iss
jm
kao
kfs, k-fs, k-fds
(?)
ky
lab
lm
ln, lin (?)

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Recommended abbreviations for studies on ore deposits

labradorite
limonite
linnaeite
maghemite
magnesite
magnetite
malachite
marcasite
mica (group)
microcline
molybdenite
monazite
monosulfide solution
montmorillonite
muscovite
nepheline
nickeline (niccolite)
oligoclase
olivine (group)
orpiment
orthoclase
orthopyroxene (series)
paragonite
pentlandite
phlogopite
plagioclase (series)
platinum group elements
proustite
pyrargyrite
pyrite
pyrophyllite
pyroxene (group)
pyrrhotite
quartz
rare earth elements
realgar
resin (impregnation
material)
rhodochrosite
rhodonite
rutile
salite
sanidine
scapolite (group)
scheelite
sericite
serpentine (group)
siderite
skutterudite
solid solution
sphalerite
sphene (titanite)
spinel
stibnite
stilbite

lab
lm
ln, lin (?)
mgh
mgs
mt
mal
mr, mrc (?)
mic
mc
mo
mnz
mss
mm
ms
ne
nk
olg
ol
orp
or
opx
prg
pn
phl
plag, pg, pl (?)
PGE
pr
pyrg
py
prl
px
po
qtz, qz (?)
REE
rlg, rg (?)
res
rdc
rdn
rt
sal
sa
scp
sch
ser
srp
sd
skut
ss
sl, sph (?)
ttn
spi
stbn
stlb

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lllingite
malachite
microcline
maghemite
magnesite
mica (group)
montmorillonite
monazite
molybdenite
marcasite
muscovite
monosulfide solution
magnetite
nepheline
nickeline (niccolite)
olivine (group)
oligoclase
orthopyroxene (series)
orthoclase
orpiment
platinum group elements
phlogopite
plagioclase (series)
pentlandite
pyrrhotite
proustite
paragonite
pyrophyllite
pyroxene (group)
pyrite
pyrargyrite
quartz
rhodochrosite
rhodonite
rare earth elements
resin (impregnation
material)
realgar
rutile
sanidine
salite
scheelite
scapolite (group)
siderite
sericite
sulfosalts (class)
skutterudite
sphalerite
blende = sphalerite
spinel
serpentine (group)
solid solution
stibnite
antimonite = stibnite
stilbite

http://www.unige.ch/sciences/terre/mineral/fontbote/opaques/ore_abbreviations.html

lol, loel (?)

mal
mc
mgh
mgs
mic
mm
mnz
mo
mr, mrc (?)
ms
mss
mt
ne
nk
ol
olg
opx
or
orp
PGE
phl
plag, pg, pl (?)
pn
po
pr
prg
prl
px
py
pyrg
qtz, qz (?)
rdc
rdn
REE
res
rlg, rg (?)
rt
sa
sal
sch
scp
sd
ser
sfs
skut
sl, sph (?)
sl, sph (?)
spi
srp
ss
stbn
stbn
stlb

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Recommended abbreviations for studies on ore deposits

strontianite
sulfosalts (class)
talc
tennantite
tetrahedrite
titanite
tremolite
tridymite
troilite
uraninite
vermiculite
wolframite (fb-hub)
wollastonite
zeolite (group)
zircon
zoisite

str
sfs
tlc
tn
td, tt, th (?)
ttn
trm
trd
tro
ur
vrm
wf
wo
zeo
zr
zo

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strontianite
tetrahedrite
talc
tennantite
tridymite
tremolite
troilite
sphene (titanite)
titanite
uraninite
vermiculite
wolframite (fb-hub)
wollastonite
zeolite (group)
zoisite
zircon

str
td, tt, th (?)
tlc
tn
trd
trm
tro
ttn
ttn
ur
vrm
wf
wo
zeo
zo
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] [Diplme 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

http://www.unige.ch/sciences/terre/mineral/fontbote/opaques/ore_abbreviations.html

19/07/2004