How are minerals named?
Many of the common minerals have names that are based upon their ancient Greek or Latin names. For many of these minerals, the names are derived from some physical property of the mineral or the location from where it was first found. This naming practice continued well into the 20th century with minerals being named after a distinguishing physical characteristic (azurite), a location where found (muscovite), a chemical formula (nahcolite), a joke (the minerals adamite and eveite are chemically similar, for example), or most recently, the name of the discoverer or person who first analyzed the mineral. Currently, the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (CNMMN) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) is the deciding and defining authority for new mineral names. Current rules require the name of any new mineral to end with “-ite.
Many of the common minerals have names that are based upon their ancient Greek or Latin names. For many of these minerals, the names are derived from some physical property of the mineral or the location from where it was first found. This naming practice continued well into the 20th century with minerals being named after a distinguishing physical characteristic (azurite), a location where found (muscovite), a chemical formula (nahcolite), a joke (the minerals adamite and eveite are chemically similar, for example), or most recently, the name of the discoverer or person who first analyzed the mineral. Currently, the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (CNMMN) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) is the deciding and defining authority for new mineral names.
