<p>After looking at the source from nrmima.nrm.se/IMA_Master_List_2016-03.pdf, I discovered the:
IMA Database of Mineral Properties
Created and maintained by the RRUFF Project in partnership with the IMA
<a href="http://rruff.info/ima/" rel="nofollow">http://rruff.info/ima/</a></p>

<p>I downloaded all the minerals in a csv file.  This worked very well for two reasons.  First they had various chemical formula formats that were favorable for entry into a database.  Second they had a mineral group column.  The mineral group column was very important since often in the field the exact mineral is not noted but a group such as chlorite or garnet.  I will worry about Strunz or Dana numbers/codes at a later date.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-10T14:32:08.643Z
2016-06-10T14:32:08.643Z
Phillip Allen
<p>There is probably no such thing as a totally comprehensive list of minerals because nobody agrees upon what constitutes a mineral, as opposed to a multiple variants of the same mineral. There is also a grey area between 'natural' and 'synthetic'.<br>
That said, however, the international centre for diffraction data (i.e. for X-ray powder diffraction work) has a recent catalogue of minerals called PDF-4 +2015, which includes more than 365,000 entries! You may have to sift through the catalogue to determine which are genuinely natural minerals that you want in your own catalogue. The '-4' indicates actual minerals as opposed to pharmaceuticals etc, which are under a different catalogue. 
You can access their flyer from:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.icdd.com/products/flyers/PDF-4plus.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.icdd.com/products/flyers/PDF-4plus.pdf</a>  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T11:52:12.660Z
There are clear definitions as to what is a mineral, as opposed to variants of the same mineral. These definitions are being constantly updated as well. The grey area between 'natural' and 'synthetic' is extremely tiny and limited to just a few minerals that were first discovered in anthropogenic settings. For more info: http://nrmima.nrm.se/
Gimelist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T08:49:13.063Z
2016-05-10T08:49:13.063Z
Gordon Stanger
<p>I am building an open source spatial geochemical/geological observational database for mineral exploration.  I need to fill the mineral lookup table.</p>

<p>Where can I find a complete list of all minerals and mineral-groups, chemical formula, Strunz and/or Dana number, or any other data.  </p>

<p>I want the Strunz and/or Dana numbers so I can query the data and recode the data based upon mineral groups.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-06T08:29:31.503Z
Are you familiar with http://www.mindat.org/ and http://webmineral.com/ ?
Gimelist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-06T17:23:20.660Z
I am but there is no clear simple way to download the data.  I actually got the feeling that they don't want people to download their data, just use the Web interface
Phillip Allen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-06T22:08:31.487Z
Did you ask them? Try contacting the people behind it
Gimelist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-07T12:19:38.857Z
http://nrmima.nrm.se/IMA_Master_List_2016-03.pdf Is that what you're looking for?
Gimelist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-08T23:56:55.733Z
Would the Elsevier Mineral and Rock table help you out? Link here: http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/pubs/Scans/Elseviers%20mineral%20and%20rock%20table.jpg Note that it's a 20mb jpeg, so maybe right-click>Save As to avoid browser crashes
Ben MS
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-10T08:56:22.350Z
The question might be worth putting on [opendata.se] as well (tread carefully - posting across several SE sites is not appreciated).
Jan Doggen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-28T04:01:38.787Z
the International Mineralogical Association had recognized about 5,400 minerals. About 30 to 50 new minerals are described and one or two minerals are discredited each year
bandybabboon
<geology><geochemistry><mineralogy>
Looking for a complete table of minerals for a database
Phillip Allen
# Looking for a complete table of minerals for a database

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-06)

I am building an open source spatial geochemical/geological observational database for mineral exploration. I need to fill the mineral lookup table.

Where can I find a complete list of all minerals and mineral-groups, chemical formula, Strunz and/or Dana number, or any other data.

I want the Strunz and/or Dana numbers so I can query the data and recode the data based upon mineral groups.

**Tags:** geology, geochemistry, mineralogy

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Are you familiar with http://www.mindat.org/ and http://webmineral.com/ ?  
> **username_0**: I am but there is no clear simple way to download the data.  I actually got the feeling that they don't want people to download their data, just use the Web interface  
> **username_1**: Did you ask them? Try contacting the people behind it  
> **username_1**: http://nrmima.nrm.se/IMA_Master_List_2016-03.pdf Is that what you're looking for?  
> **username_2**: Would the Elsevier Mineral and Rock table help you out? Link here: http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/pubs/Scans/Elseviers%20mineral%20and%20rock%20table.jpg Note that it's a 20mb jpeg, so maybe right-click>Save As to avoid browser crashes  
> **username_3**: The question might be worth putting on [opendata.se] as well (tread carefully - posting across several SE sites is not appreciated).  
> **username_4**: the International Mineralogical Association had recognized about 5,400 minerals. About 30 to 50 new minerals are described and one or two minerals are discredited each year  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2016-06-10. Score: 3

After looking at the source from nrmima.nrm.se/IMA\_Master\_List\_2016-03.pdf, I discovered the:
IMA Database of Mineral Properties
Created and maintained by the RRUFF Project in partnership with the IMA
<http://rruff.info/ima/>

I downloaded all the minerals in a csv file. This worked very well for two reasons. First they had various chemical formula formats that were favorable for entry into a database. Second they had a mineral group column. The mineral group column was very important since often in the field the exact mineral is not noted but a group such as chlorite or garnet. I will worry about Strunz or Dana numbers/codes at a later date.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2016-05-10. Score: 0

There is probably no such thing as a totally comprehensive list of minerals because nobody agrees upon what constitutes a mineral, as opposed to a multiple variants of the same mineral. There is also a grey area between 'natural' and 'synthetic'.  
That said, however, the international centre for diffraction data (i.e. for X-ray powder diffraction work) has a recent catalogue of minerals called PDF-4 +2015, which includes more than 365,000 entries! You may have to sift through the catalogue to determine which are genuinely natural minerals that you want in your own catalogue. The '-4' indicates actual minerals as opposed to pharmaceuticals etc, which are under a different catalogue.
You can access their flyer from:

<http://www.icdd.com/products/flyers/PDF-4plus.pdf>

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There are clear definitions as to what is a mineral, as opposed to variants of the same mineral. These definitions are being constantly updated as well. The grey area between 'natural' and 'synthetic' is extremely tiny and limited to just a few minerals that were first discovered in anthropogenic settings. For more info: http://nrmima.nrm.se/  

---

