An Updated Checklist—Minerals of Connecticut

Last update May 28, 2009

 

Originally published by Bruce Jarnot in the Connecticut Issue of Rocks & Minerals magazine (Vol. 70, Nov-Dec 1995). This updated list is included here because new members have been asking, the progress of new information marches on, and the International Mineralogical Assoc. has changed some mineral nomenclature.  See http://pubsites.uws.edu.au/ima-cnmnc/ for their official list of mineral names.  Such a list is always a work in progress and I hope it will solicit feedback from members and non-member.  Send comments to fritzandsheila(at)pobox.com (please replace "(at)" with "@" in the email - this is to confuse the spambots). 

Like the 1995 list, this list contains several types of entries:

• Currently accepted species appear capitalized and bold (e.g., Quartz); species in plain type with a question mark (e.g., Arsenic?) represent unconfirmed identifications or likely misidentifications.  Where IMA has split one species into several (typically zeolites), I have assumed that the state includes the most common species (so noted) unless otherwise determined.  Amphiboles have been redefined by IMA, so newly-defiend species may be present and the status of others listed below needs documentation.

• Italicized lowercase entries (e.g., amethyst) indicate varieties. As above, likely misidentifications appear with a question mark (e.g., sapphire?).  Note the IMA changes in plagioclase nomenclature to albite and anorthite end members only (consistent with other solid solution series names) with varietal names used for intermediate compositions.

• Obsolete names (e.g., argentine) and group names (e.g., pyroxene group) appear in lowercase, plain type and are included to show that these minerals have not been ignored.  Cross-referencing to the current IMA name is included. The familiar micas biotite, lepidolite, and zinnwaldite are found to be a series of species, the particular ones present in this state need documentation, so they are in lowercase also (e.g. biotite series).

• Entries marked with an asterisk (e.g., canaanite*) have a type locality in Connecticut, even if the name might today be considered obsolete.

• “Postmine” and “brass alteration” indicate occurrences resulting from weathering or alteration at manmade exposures.

 

REFERENCES

Bannerman, H. M., S. S. Quarrier, and R. Schooner. 1968. Mineral Deposits of the Central Connecticut Pegmatite District. Guidebook for Fieldtrips in Connecticut, New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference. Hartford: State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut.

Boston Mineral Club. 1965. Some locations in the Middletown pegmatite district Connecticut. Boston: Boston Mineral Club.

Dana, E. 1892. The system of mineralogy of James Dwight Dana 1837-1868, 6th ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Dana, J. 1837. A system of mineralogy, 1st ed. New Haven, Conn.: Durrie & Peck and Herrick & Noyes.

              1844. A system of mineralogy, 2d ed. New York: Wiley & Putnam.

              1850. A system of mineralogy, 3d ed. New York: George P. Putnam.

   1854. A system of mineralogy, 4th ed. New York: George P. Putnam & Co.

Dana, J., and G. J. Brush. 1868. A system of mineralogy, 5th ed. New York: John Wiley & Son.

Davis, F. E. XRD and EDS analyses and personal communication

Fleischer, M., and J. A. Mandarino. 1995. Glossary of mineral species, 7th ed. Tucson: Mineralogical Record.

Harte, C. R. 1944. Connecticut’s minor metals and her minerals. Proceedings of the 60th annual meeting of the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers, Inc., Hartford, Conn.

Henderson, W. 1967. A copper analog of Laurium, Greece. Rocks & Minerals 42:273-76.

Hiller, J. 1971. Connecticut mines and minerals. Shelton, Conn.: Hiller’s Crystal Shop.

Januzzi, R. E. 1961. The mineralogy of Connecticut and southeastern New York State. Bethel, Conn.: Sweetman Productions.

Jarnot, B. 1995. A Checklist: Minerals of Connecticut. Rocks & Minerals, Volume 70.

Nickel, E. H. and M. C. Nichols. 2008.  IMA/CNMNC List of Mineral Names. http://pubsites.uws.edu.au/ima-cnmnc/

Robinson, S. [1825] 1989. A catalogue of American minerals, with their localities; including all which are known to exist in the United States and British Provinces, and having the towns, counties, and districts in each state and province arranged alphabetically with an appendix, containing additional localities and a tabular view. Boston: Cummings, Hilliard & Co. Reprinted 1989, Rochester Academy of Sciences, Rochester, N.Y.

Schairer, J. F. 1931. Minerals of Connecticut. State Geological and Natural History Survey bulletin 51.

Schooner, R. 1958. The mineralogy of the Portland-East Hampton-Middletown-Haddam area in Connecticut (with a few notes on Glastonbury and Marlborough). East Hampton and Branford, Conn.: Richard Schooner, Ralph Lieser, and Howard Pate.

Schooner, R.  1961. The mineralogy of Connecticut. Branford, Conn.: Fluorescent House.

Shainin, V. E. 1946. The Branchville, Connecticut, Pegmatite. Amer­ican Mineralogist 31:329-45.

Shelton, W., and B. Webster. 1979. Mineral collector’s field guide-The Northeast. Wallingford, Conn.: Mineralogy.

Sohon, J., and A. N. Winchell. 1951. Connecticut minerals-Their properties and occurrence. State Geological and Natural History Survey bulletin 77.

Stone, S. W. 1949. A guide to the representative rocks and minerals of Connecticut. State Geological and Natural History Survey miscellaneous series 1.

Tschernich, R. W. 1992. Zeolites of the World.  Phoenix: Geoscience Press.

Weber, C., and M. Weber. 1987. Minerals of Connecticut-A checklist. In Program with abstracts, New North East Meeting, Micro­mounters of New England (May 2, 1987).

Webster, B. 1978. Mineral collector’s field guide: Connecticut. Wallingford, Conn.: Privately published.

 

MINERALS OF CONNECTICUT

 

Acanthite

acmite (=Aegerine)

actinolite (=Tremolite)

Aegirine

Aeschynite? (=Davidite-La)

Albite

v. cleavelandite

v. oligoclase

v. andesine

Allanite-(Ce)

Alleghanyite

Allophane?

Almandine (=almandite)

Aluminite?

Alunite?

Amblygonite? (=Montebrasite)

amphibole group

Analcime

analcite (=Analcime)

Anatase

Andalusite

andesine (=Albite)

Andradite

v. melanite

Anglesite

Anhydrite

Ankerite

Annabergite (postmine)

Annite

Anorthite

   v. labradorite

   v. bytownite

Anthophyllite

Antigorite

Antimony?

apatite group

Apatite-(CaF)

Apatite-(CaOH)

Apophyllite-(KF) (most common species)

Aragonite

argentine (=Calcite)

Argentite? (=Acanthite)

Arrojadite

Arsenic?

Arsenolite? (postmine)

Arsenopyrite

asbestos

Atacamite (brass alteration)

Augelite

Augite

Aurichalcite

Autunite/Meta-autunite

axinite group

Axinite-(Fe)

Azurite

 

Babingtonite

Barbosalite

Barite

Bassanite (postmine)

Bastnäsite-(Ce)

Bavenite

Becquerelite?

Bementite

Beraunite

Bermanite

Bertrandite

Beryl

v. aquamarine

v. cesian beryl

v. emerald?

v. goshenite

v. heliodor

v. morganite

beta-spodumene*

Beyerite?

Bikitaite?

Bindheimite

biotite series

Birnessite

Bismite

Bismuth

Bismuthinite

Bismutite

Bismutoferrite

bismutosphalerite

Bityite

boltonite (=Forsterite)

Bornite

Brazilianite

Breithauptite?

Brewsterite

Brochantite

Brookite

bustamite (=Rhodonite)

bytownite (=Anorthite)

cacholong (=Opal)

cairngorm stone (=Smoky Quartz)

calamine (=Hemimorphite)

Calcite

calyptolin* (=calyptolite*)

calciothorite?

canaanite* (=Diopside)

carbonate-apatite (=Apatite-(CaF))

Cassiterite

Celestine (=celestite)

Cerite-(Ce)

Cerussite

Chabazite-Ca (most common species)

Chalcanthite (postmine)

Chalcocite

Chalcopyrite

Chalcostibite?

Chamosite

chathamite* (=Skutterudite)

Childrenite?

chloanthite (=Nickel-skutterudite)

chlorite group

chlorophane (=Fluorite)

chlorophyllite

Chondrodite

Chromite

Chrysoberyl

Chrysocolla

chrysotile (=Clinochrysotile)

Clarkeite?

Clinochlore

Clinochrysotile

Clinozoisite

Cobaltite

coccolite

Coffinite?

columbiconite*

columbite* (=Columbite-(Fe)/(Mn))

Columbite-(Fe)

Columbite-(Mn)

Cookeite

Copiapite (postmine)

Copper

Cordierite

Corrensite (low layer charge)

Corundum

v. sapphire?

corynite

Covellite

Crandallite

Crichtonite

Cronstedtite?

Cryptomelane

Cummingtonite

Cuprite

Cuprosklodowskite?

cymatolite

 

damourite

Danalite

Danburite*

Datolite

Davidite-(La)

Dewindtite?

diabantite

diallage

Diadochite

Diamond

Diaspore?

Dickinsonite*

dickite (=Kaolinite)

Diopside

v. salite

Dioptase

dipyre

Dolomite

Dravite

Dumortierite

 

edwardsite* (=Monazite-Ce)

Elbaite

Enstatite

Eosphorite*

Epidote

Epistilbite

Epsomite? (postmine)

eremite* (=Monazite-Ce)

Erythrite (postmine)

Euclase?

Eucryptite*

Euxenite?

 

 

fahlunite

Fairfieldite*

Fassaite?

Fayalite

Ferberite

Fergusonite-(Y)

Ferrimolybdite

Ferrisicklerite?

Ferritungstite

ferroaxinite (=Axinite-(Fe))

ferrocolumbite (=Columbite-(Fe))

Ferro-ilmenite* (=Ilmenite)

ferrotantalite? (=Tapiolite?)

Fibroferrite? (postmine)

Fillowite*

Fluocerite?

fluorapatite (=Apatite-(CaF))

fluorapophyllite (=Apophyllite-(KF))

Fluorite

fluor-meionite*

Forsterite

Fourmarierite

fuchsite (=Muscovite)

 

Gahnite

Galena

Galenobismutite?

Gedrite

Gersdorffite

Gibbsite

Glauberite?

Glaucodot

Gmelinite-Na (most common species)

Goethite

Gold

Gonnardite

Goslarite? (postmine)

Graftonite

Graphite

Greenockite

Grossular

    v. hessonite (=essonite)

Groutite

gummite

Gypsum

    v. selenite

 

haddamite* (=Microlite)

Halite

Halloysite

Halotrichite? (postmine)

Harmotome

Hastingsite

Hedenbergite

heliotrope

Helvite

Hematite

Hemimorphite

herderite? (=Hydroxylherderite)

hermannolite* (=Columbite-(Fe))

Heteromorphite?

Heterosite

Heulandite-Ca (most common species)

Hexahydrite? (postmine)

heydenite

hornblende (=other amphiboles)

Hureaulite

Hyalophane

Hydrobiotite?

Hydromagnesite

Hydroxylapatite (=Apatite-(CaOH))

Hydroxylherderite

Hydrozincite

Hypersthene?

hysatite

 

Ice

idocrase (=Vesuvianite)

illite

Ilmenite

Ilsemannite?

Ilvaite?

iolite (=Cordierite)

Iron?

Ishikawaite-(Y)

Ixiolite

 

 

Jacobsite

Jamesonite

jahnsite group

Jarosite

Jezekite?

Johannite?

 

Kaolinite (kaolin)

killinite

Kutnahorite

Kyanite (cyanite)

 

labradorite (=Anorthite)

Lacroixite

Landesite

Lanthanite?

Laueite

Laumontite

Lazulite?

Lead?

Lepidolite series

Liandratite

limonite

Linarite?

Lipscombite?

Litharge

Lithiophilite*

Löllingite

Ludlamite

 

Maghemite

Magnesiohornblende

Magnetite

Malachite

manganapatite (=Apatite-(CaF))

Manganite

manganocolumbite (=Columbite-(Mn))

Manganocummingtonite

manganotantalite (=Tantalite-(Mn))

marasmolite* (=Sphalerite)

Marcasite

Margarite

margarodite (=Muscovite)

Marialite

Massicot

Meionite

Melanterite (postmine)

Messelite

mica group

Microcline

v. amazonite

Microlite

Mimetite

Minium?

Mitridatite

Molybdenite

Molybdite

Monazite-(Ce)

Montebrasite

Monticellite

Montmorillonite

Moraesite

Morenosite? (postmine)

Mordenite

Morinite

morion (=Smoky Quartz)

Muscovite

v. sericite

 

Nacrite?

Nantokite (brass alteration)

Natrojarosite

Natrolite

natromontebrasite (=Montebrasite)

Natrophilite*

neomesselite (=Fairfieldite)

Nepheline?

Nephrite?

niccolite (=Nickeline)

Nickeline

Nickel-skutterudite

Nontronite

 

oligoclase (=Albite)

olivine group

Opal

v. hyalite

Orthoclase

v. adularia

 

Palermoite?

Palygorskite

Paragonite

parathorite* (= Thorite)

Pargasite

Parisite-(Ce)

Parsonsite?

Pectolite

Pennantite

Pentlandite

perthite

Petalite
Petscheckite

phacolite

Pharmacolite? (postmine)

Pharmacosiderite

Phenakite

Phosphoferrite?

Phillipsite?

Phlogopite

Phosphophyllite

Phosphuranylite

Pickeringite (postmine)

picrolite

Piemontite? (piedmontite)

Pigeonite

pinite

Pitticite

Planerite?

Plattnerite (postmine)

Plumbojarosite?

Pollucite

Powellite

Prehnite

prochlorite

Pucherite?

pumpellyite group

Purpurite

Pyrite

Pyrochlore

Pyrolusite

Pyromorphite

Pyrope?

Pyrophanite

Pyrophyllite

pyroxene group

Pyrrhotite

 

Quartz

v. agate

v. amethyst

v. carnelian

v. chalcedony

v. citrine

v.  flint

v. heliotrope

v.  jasper

v. milky quartz

v. rose quartz

v. smoky quartz

 

Rammelsbergite

Reddingite*

reinite

renardite? (= Dewindtite?)

retgersite? (postmine)

Rhabdophane-(Nd)* (rhabdophanite)

Rhodochrosite

rhodolite (=Pyrope/Almandine)

Rhodonite

Rhomboclase? (postmine)

ripidolite (=?)

Roentgenite-(Ce)?

Roasasite (brass alteration)

Rozenite? (postmine)

Rutherfordine?

Rutile

 

Safflorite

salmonsite?

Samarskite-(Y)

Saponite

Sarcolite?

Sarmientite?

scapolite group

Scheelite

schernikite*

Schorl

Scolecite

Scorodite

Scorzalite

scovillite* (=Rhabdophane-Nd)

Sepiolite

serpentine group

Sicklerite

Siderite

Sillimanite*

Sillenite

siliceous sinter (=Opal)

Silver

Skutterudite

smaltite (=Skutterudite)

Smithsonite

Sodalite

Soddyite?

specularite (=Hematite)

Spessartine (=spessartite)

Sphalerite

sphene (=Titanite)

Spurrite?

Spinel

Spodumene

v. kunzite

Staurolite

Stellerite?

Stewartite

Stibnite

Stilbite-Ca (most common species)

Stilpnomelane

Strengite

Strunzite

Struverite

Sulfur (postmine)

Sylvanite?

Synchysite-(Ce)

Szomolnokoite? (postmine)

 

Talc

tantalite (=Tantalite-(Mn))

Tantalite-(Mn)

Tanteuxenite-(Y)

Tapiolite

Tellurium?

Tenorite

Tephroite

Tetrahedrite?

Thaumasite

Thomsonite-Ca (most common species)

Thorite

Thorogummite

tirodite (=Manganocummingtonite)

Titanite

Todorokite

Topaz

topazolite (=Andradite)

Torbernite/Metatorbernite

torrelite* (=Columbite-(Fe))

tourmaline group

Tremolite

   v. actinolite

Triphylite

v. ferrisicklerite

Triplite

Triploidite*

Tungstenite

tufa (= Calcite)

tungstic ochre* (=Tungstite)

Tungstite

turgite (=Hematite)

 

Uraconite?

uralite

Uralolite?

Uraninite

uranite

Uranmicrolite

Uranophane

 

Vanadinite?

Vandendriesscheite

Vermiculite

Vesuvianite

Violarite?

Vivianite

Voltzite? (postmine)

 

washingtonite* (= Ilmenite)

wernerite

Whitmoreite

Wodginite

wolframite group

Wollastonite

Wulfenite

Wurtzite

 

xanthoxenite (=Jahnsite)

Xenotime-(Y)

Xonotlite

 

yenite (=Cordierite)

Yttrotantalite?

 

zinnwaldite series

Zircon

v. cyrtolite

Zoisite

v. thulite