UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA BULLETIN -- --- - - -- - -- ---- - -- -- - VOL.XXXV SEPTEMBER 15,1941 No. 6 -- - --- -- - GEOLOGY AND MINING SERIES No. 36 NEVADA'S COMMON MINERALS (Including a Preliminary List of Minerals Found in the State) By VIXCENTP. GIANELLA Department of Geology, Mackay School of Mines University of Nevada PRICE 50 CENTS PUBLICATTONOF THE NEVADASTATE BUREAU OF MINES AND THE MACKAYSCHOOL OF MINES JAY A. CARPENTER,Di~ector 374 CONTENTS PAGE Preface......................................................................................................... 5 PART I Introduction. .................................................................................................. 7 Selected bibliography . 8 Origin, .occurrence, . and association. of minerals .................................... 10 Prlncspal. modes. of origsn .................................................................. 10 Crystallization of minerals.......................... .... ............................ 10 From fusion ................................................................................. 10 From solution .............................................................................. 11 From vapor .................................. .... ............. 11 Minerals of metamorphic. rocks............... ........................................ 11 Contact metamorphic minerals........................................................ 12 Pegmatites ............................................................................................ 12 Veins ..................................................................................................... 13 Replacement deposits .......................................................................... 14 Hydrothermal alteration................................................................... 14 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE Primary and secondary minerals .................................................... 15 UNIVERSITYOF NEVADA Enrichment of ores............................................................................ 15 RENO. NEVADA Placer deposits .................................................................................... 17 Where to look for minerals ...................................................................... 17 Collection. and care of mineral specimens...................... ... ................ 21 Dispos~t~onof specimens............................................................................ 22 Entered in the Post Office at Reno. Nevada. as second-class matter under Act of . PART I1 Congress. July 16. 1894. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage pro- General characterist~csof minerals.......................................................... 23 vided for in section 1103. Act of October 3. 1917. authorized April 21. 1919. Introduction ......................................................................................... 23 Classification of minerals .................................................................. 25 Physical properties of minerals........................................................ 26 Crystals........... .. ......................................................................... 26 Other properties used in the description of minerals .......... 30 Cleavage and fracture........................................................ 30 Tenacity . 31 Color..................................................................................... 31 Diaphaneity......................................................................... 31 Luster ............. ................................................................... 31 Streak .. 32 Hardness .............................................................................. 32 Specific gravity ................................................................... 33 Structure.............................................................................. 33 Special properties ............................................................... 34 Other aids to identification ...................................................... 35 PART I11 The determination of Nevada's common minerals ................................ 37 Introduction ......................................................................................... 37 Key to mineral identification ............................................................ 39 Use. .of the key .................... ... ................................................. 40 Descr~ptionof minerals...................................................................... 41 4 Nevada's Common Minerals PART IV PAGE Preliminary list of Nevada's minerals.................................................... 89 Introduction . 89 PREFACE Minerals occurring in Nevada .......................................................... 90 Native Elements .......................................................................... 90 Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides, and The important position of the United States among the nations Antimonides...................................................................... 90 of the world is largely due to its natural resources, among which Sulpho-Salts................................................................................. 90 minerals occupy an important place. Today, as never before, the Halides, Chlorides, Bromides, Iodides, and Fluorides.......... 91 Oxides ..................... .. ................................................................. 91 production of minerals is of prime importance to the welfare of Carbonates. ................................................................................... 91 the Nation. Minerals are of even greater relative importance in Silicates......................................................................................... 92 the history and development of Nevada. The discovery of placer Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates, and Antimonates.......... 94 gold in Nevada, early in 1849, eventually led to the exploration, ....... Nitrates..................................... ....... 95 Borates..................................... .. ............................................... 95 settlement, and the development of the resources of the State. Its Sulphates...................................................................................... 95 large precious-metal output was largely responsible for its acquir- Tellurites.................................................................................. 96 ing statehood during a most critical period in the history of the Tungstates and Molybdates........................................................ 96 Nation. Mineral production has always ranked high among the Mellates......................................................................................... 96 industries of the State and at the present time, as in the past, an Hydrocarbons.............................................................................. 96 Index to minerals described ...................................................................... 97 unusually large part of the population is dependent for its liveli- Index to preliminary list of Nevada minerals........................................ 100 hood upon the mineral industry. General index ........................................................................... 105 A large, and rapidly increasing, number of persons in the State Publications of the Nevada State Bureau of Mines and the Mackay are interested in minerals. This bulletin is offered primarily as School of Mines.................................................................................. 109 an aid to the prospector and the layman who feel the need of an ILLUSTRATIONS elementary treatment of mineralogy, and it is planned to be par- Figure 1. Isometric crystals.................................................................... 27 ticularly adapted to the minerals of this region. This publication Figure 2. Tetragonal crystals............................... .. ............................ 28 is the outgrowth of a revision of Grawe's work1 which was popu- Figure 3. Orthorhombic crystals................................... .. .....----.-28 larly received and of such demand that the bulletin is now Figure 4. Hexagonal. crystals................................................................. 29 exhausted. This work has been expanded, by including addi- Figure 5. Monocllnic crystals................................................................. 29 ... tional material and the broadening of its scope, so as better to Figure 6. Trlchnic crystals..................................................................... 30 meet the needs of the group for which it is written. A scheme for the identification of minerals is included, together with descriptions of about one hundred and twenty-five minerals com- monly found in the State. There is also included a list of all mineral species which are at present known by the writer to occur in the State. This list, though admittedly incomplete, should be of considerable value to those interested in the miner- alogy of Nevada. This bulletin is primarily intended to aid those who have had but little or no previous training in the subject of mineralogy but are interested in the common minerals. It is not intended to take the place of the standard works on the subject; some of which are listed in the bibliography. No claim to originality can be made for a work of this kind, and any merit it may have is in -- 'Grawe, Oliver It.,