This page brings together a complete list of 30 minerals that start with the letter L, running alphabetically from “Labradorite” to “Lueneburgite”. These minerals come in a wide range of colors, textures, and chemical makeups, from shimmering gemstones to dull earthy ores. Many are valued as ornamental stones or collector’s pieces, while others serve as important sources of metals like lithium, iron, copper, and cobalt.
Minerals are naturally occurring solid substances with a specific chemical composition and an orderly internal structure. They form the building blocks of rocks and have shaped human history in surprising ways, such as the deep-blue lapis lazuli that ancient artists ground into the precious pigment ultramarine. People have collected, traded, and admired them for thousands of years.
Below you’ll find the table with the mineral names and their descriptions.
Mineral: This gives you the name of each mineral, listed in alphabetical order so you can quickly scan the list and find the one you’re looking for.
Description: This offers a short, plain explanation of each mineral, covering its color, how it forms, and what people commonly use it for.
Minerals
| Mineral |
|---|
| Labradorite |
| Lazurite |
| Lepidolite |
| Lepidocrocite |
| Leucite |
| Limonite |
| Linarite |
| Lizardite |
| Ludwigite |
| Loellingite |
| Laumontite |
| Lawsonite |
| Legrandite |
| Liroconite |
| Ludlamite |
| Leadhillite |
| Langbeinite |
| Lansfordite |
| Larnite |
| Lavendulan |
| Linnaeite |
| Lepidomelane |
| Lithiophilite |
| Liddicoatite |
| Lautite |
| Labuntsovite |
| Lamprophyllite |
| Leucophanite |
| Lorandite |
| Lueneburgite |
Descriptions
Labradorite
A feldspar mineral famous for its iridescent flashes of blue, green, and gold, an effect called labradorescence. It is widely used as a gemstone and decorative stone.
Lazurite
A deep-blue silicate mineral and the main component of the prized stone lapis lazuli, long used for ornaments and the historic pigment ultramarine.
Lepidolite
A lilac-to-pink mica mineral rich in lithium, often found in granite pegmatites. It is an important ore of lithium and is popular among mineral collectors.
Lepidocrocite
An orange-red iron oxide-hydroxide mineral that commonly forms as a product of weathering and rust, frequently found alongside goethite.
Leucite
A white or gray potassium aluminosilicate that crystallizes in volcanic rocks. Its name comes from the Greek for “white” due to its pale color.
Limonite
A general term for amorphous, yellow-brown iron oxide-hydroxide minerals formed by weathering. It has long served as an iron ore and natural earthy pigment.
Linarite
A striking deep-blue copper-lead sulfate mineral that forms in oxidized zones of ore deposits. Its vivid color makes it a favorite among collectors.
Lizardite
A soft, pale-green serpentine-group mineral that forms when olivine-rich rocks are altered by water, used historically as a decorative carving stone.
Ludwigite
A dark, blackish-green borate mineral containing iron and magnesium, usually found in metamorphosed ore deposits as fibrous or needle-like crystals.
Loellingite
A silvery-white iron arsenide mineral that closely resembles arsenopyrite. It occurs in hydrothermal veins and is a minor source of arsenic.
Laumontite
A white to pinkish zeolite mineral that crystallizes in volcanic cavities and fractures. It is notable for crumbling to powder as it dries out.
Lawsonite
A pale blue-gray to white silicate mineral that forms under high-pressure, low-temperature conditions, making it a useful indicator of subduction-zone rocks.
Legrandite
A rare, bright yellow zinc arsenate mineral prized by collectors for its lustrous, elongated crystals, most famously from Mexico.
Liroconite
A rare sky-blue to green copper aluminum arsenate mineral that forms small lens-shaped crystals in oxidized copper deposits.
Ludlamite
A green to apple-green iron phosphate mineral that forms transparent tabular crystals, sought after by collectors for its color and clarity.
Leadhillite
A soft, pearly white to pale-green lead carbonate-sulfate mineral named after Leadhills, Scotland, where it was first discovered.
Langbeinite
A colorless to pink potassium-magnesium sulfate mineral found in marine evaporite deposits and used as a source of potassium for fertilizer.
Lansfordite
A colorless, water-bearing magnesium carbonate mineral that forms in coal mines and dehydrates readily, often altering to nesquehonite.
Larnite
A rare calcium silicate mineral found in high-temperature metamorphosed limestones; its synthetic form is an important component of Portland cement.
Lavendulan
A vivid lavender-blue copper arsenate mineral that forms crusts and rosettes in oxidized ore zones, valued for its intense color.
Linnaeite
A steel-gray cobalt sulfide mineral that occurs in hydrothermal veins and serves as a minor cobalt ore. It is named after botanist Carl Linnaeus.
Lepidomelane
An iron-rich, dark variety of biotite mica, nearly black in color, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Lithiophilite
A brownish lithium-manganese phosphate mineral found in granite pegmatites, forming a series with triphylite and serving as a minor lithium source.
Liddicoatite
A rare lithium-rich tourmaline known for vividly colored, multi-zoned crystals that show striking patterns when sliced, popular with collectors.
Lautite
A rare gray copper arsenic sulfide mineral found in hydrothermal deposits, prized by collectors for its scarcity.
Labuntsovite
A group of complex titanium-niobium silicate minerals, often orange to brown, found in alkaline igneous rocks and prized by collectors.
Lamprophyllite
A brown to golden titanium silicate mineral found in alkaline igneous rocks, often forming bladed or star-shaped crystal groups.
Leucophanite
A pale yellow to greenish calcium-sodium beryllium silicate mineral found in alkaline rocks, occasionally cut as a collector’s gemstone.
Lorandite
A red to scarlet thallium arsenic sulfide mineral found in low-temperature hydrothermal deposits, valued by collectors for its rich color.
Lueneburgite
A colorless to white magnesium boron phosphate mineral found in evaporite and salt deposits, occurring as small crystals or earthy masses.