Mineralogical Simulant

Browse mineralogical simulant specimens identified by the Rock Identifier community.

Learn about Mineralogical Simulant in the encyclopedia

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Yttrium Aluminum Garnet

Transvaal Jade

White Beryl

Shungite

Pegmatite (likely Granitic Pegmatite)

Pegmatite (a coarse-grained igneous rock, often with granitic composition)

igneous

Jade (Nephrite or Jadeite)

Nephrite: Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2 (amphibole mineral); Jadeite: NaAlSi2O6 (pyroxene mineral)

Metamorphic Rock / Mineral

Sandstone

Quartz Arenite (a common type of sandstone, given the appearance), Arkose, Greywacke (depending on mineralogy)

Sedimentary Rock

Goldstone

Not a natural mineral or rock. It is an ornamental glass.

Manufactured Glass (Simulant)

Hypersthene (or Enstatite/Ferrosilite)

Orthopyroxene series (Mg,Fe)SiO3 - specifically, historically hypersthene (intermediate member) now referred to as Enstatite (Mg-rich) or Ferrosilite (Fe-rich)

Mineral

Diamond (Rough)

Diamond (Carbon, C)

Mineral

Granite (likely a river or beach pebble)

Granite (a felsic intrusive igneous rock primarily composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica)

Igneous

Greisen

Metamorphic

Diamond

Diamond (C)

Mineral

Emerald

Beryl (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈), specifically the green variety colored by trace amounts of chromium or vanadium.

Mineral

Diamond

Diamond (pure carbon; C)

Mineral

Jade (likely Nephrite or Jadeite)

Nephrite (a variety of actinolite, Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2) or Jadeite (NaAlSi2O6)

Metamorphic rock (for Nephrite and some Jadeite); Mineral (for Jadeite)

Jade (likely Nephrite Jade based on appearance)

Nephrite (a variety of actinolite, Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2)

Mineral

Diamond

Diamond (C)

Mineral

Green glass sphere/marble

Soda-lime glass (primarily SiO2, Na2O, CaO)

Man-made object (Simulant)

Opalite (Man-made Glass)

Synthetic Silicon Dioxide Glass (SiO2 + metal oxides)

Synthetic Mineral Simulant / Glass

Jade (Nephrite or Jadeite)

Nephrite (Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2 - a variety of actinolite, an amphibole mineral); Jadeite (Na(Al,Fe3+)Si2O6 - a pyroxene mineral)

Metamorphic rock (for both Nephrite and Jadeite)

Tektite (Indochinite)

Tektite (High-silica natural glass)

mineralogical glass/meteorite impactite

Banded Gneiss

Gneiss (pronounced 'nice')

metamorphic

Jade (likely Jadeite)

Jadeite (a pyroxene mineral) or Nephrite (a variety of amphibole mineral)

Mineral

Blue Goldstone

Aventurine Glass

Man-made mineral simulant (Glass)

Goldstone

Aventurine Glass (SiO2 + Cu small inclusions)

man-made glass mineral simulant

Chipped Glass/Plastic Fragment

Silicon dioxide (SiO2) for glass (amorphous) or various polymer compounds for plastic

Man-made material (simulant/artifact)

Blue Goldstone

Aventurine Glass (Silicon Dioxide with metal inclusions)

man-made glass mineral simulant

Diamond

Diamond (pure carbon, C)

Mineral

Pebble (likely a type of sandstone or quartzite pebble)

Clastic Sediment (specifically, a rudite-sized clast). If the pebble is composed of a specific rock type, its scientific name would be that rock type (e.g., 'Quartzite pebble', 'Granite pebble', 'Chert pebble'). Given its appearance, it is likely a metamorphic quartzite pebble or a hard sandstone pebble.

Sedimentary rock

Dark Igneous Rock (Likely Basalt or Diabase)

Basalt (extrusive igneous rock) or Diabase (intrusive igneous rock - also known as Dolerite), largely composed of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene (augite), and sometimes olivine and amphibole. Exact mineralogy would require thin section analysis.

Igneous