This page brings together a complete list of 24 minerals that start with the letter T, running alphabetically from “Talc” to “Tyuyamunite.” These minerals cover a wide range, from soft, powdery substances to dazzling gemstones and heavy metal ores. You’ll find everyday materials used in cosmetics, glass, and electronics alongside prized stones cut for jewelry and ornaments.
Minerals are naturally occurring solid substances with a specific chemical makeup and an orderly internal structure. People have valued them for thousands of years, and stones like turquoise have long held a special place in Native American and Persian jewelry. They form the building blocks of rocks and supply many of the materials we rely on daily.
Below you’ll find the table with Mineral and Description for each entry.
Mineral: This gives you the name of each mineral in the list, arranged alphabetically so you can quickly scan and find the exact one you’re looking for.
Description: This offers a short, plain-language summary of each mineral, telling you what it looks like, how it forms, and where you might encounter or use it.
Minerals
Mineral
Talc
Tanzanite
Tantalite
Tennantite
Tenorite
Tephroite
Tetrahedrite
Thaumasite
Thenardite
Thomsonite
Thorianite
Thorite
Tiger’s Eye
Tincalconite
Titanite
Topaz
Torbernite
Tourmaline
Tremolite
Trona
Tridymite
Tugtupite
Turquoise
Tyuyamunite
Descriptions
Talc
The softest known mineral, rating 1 on the Mohs hardness scale. It feels greasy or soapy and is ground into talcum powder and used in cosmetics, paints, and ceramics.
Tanzanite
A striking blue-to-violet gem variety of the mineral zoisite, found only near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It was popularized as a gemstone by Tiffany & Co. in the late 1960s.
Tantalite
A dark, heavy ore mineral and a primary source of the metal tantalum, used in electronic capacitors. It often occurs alongside columbite in granitic pegmatites.
Tennantite
A copper arsenic sulfosalt mineral that forms part of an ore series with tetrahedrite. It appears as gray to black metallic crystals and is a minor source of copper.
Tenorite
A black copper oxide mineral that typically forms in the weathered zones of copper deposits. It is soft and earthy and serves as a minor copper ore.
Tephroite
A rare ash-gray to olive manganese olivine mineral. It usually forms in metamorphosed manganese-rich rocks and ore deposits.
Tetrahedrite
A widespread copper antimony sulfosalt that forms distinctive tetrahedral crystals. It is an important ore of copper and often carries silver.
Thaumasite
A soft, white to colorless calcium silicate carbonate sulfate mineral. It can form in concrete as a damaging product of sulfate attack.
Thenardite
A soluble sodium sulfate mineral that crystallizes from evaporating saline lakes and playas. It dissolves easily in water and is used as a source of sodium sulfate.
Thomsonite
A zeolite mineral that forms radiating clusters in volcanic cavities. Polished pebbles found around Lake Superior are prized by collectors.
Thorianite
A heavy, radioactive thorium oxide mineral, often dark and dense. It is a significant ore of thorium and may contain uranium.
Thorite
A radioactive thorium silicate mineral, usually brownish to black. It is an important ore of thorium and frequently occurs in pegmatites and placer sands.
Tiger’s Eye
A golden-brown chatoyant gemstone, a quartz variety with silky fibrous bands that shimmer when light moves across it. It is widely used in jewelry and ornaments.
Tincalconite
A white sodium borate mineral that forms when borax loses water and dehydrates. It occurs as a powdery crust on borax in dry environments.
Titanite
A wedge-shaped silicate mineral, also called sphene, often honey-yellow to green with strong fire. It is a source of titanium and is sometimes cut as a gem.
Topaz
A hard silicate gemstone rating 8 on the Mohs scale, prized in shades of golden, blue, pink, and colorless. It is the traditional birthstone for November.
Torbernite
A bright green, radioactive copper uranium phosphate mineral that forms square platy crystals. It is a striking indicator of uranium deposits.
Tourmaline
A boron silicate gem mineral famous for its enormous color range, sometimes multicolored within a single crystal. Watermelon tourmaline shows pink centers ringed by green.
Tremolite
A white to gray calcium magnesium amphibole that forms bladed or fibrous crystals. Some fibrous forms are a type of asbestos.
Trona
A grayish sodium carbonate bicarbonate mineral mined from dried lake beds. It is the world’s main natural source of soda ash for glass and detergents.
Tridymite
A high-temperature form of silica that crystallizes in volcanic rocks and meteorites. It shares the same chemistry as quartz but a different crystal structure.
Tugtupite
A rare pink to crimson mineral from Greenland that can glow and deepen in color under sunlight or UV light. It is cut into cabochons by collectors.
Turquoise
A beloved blue-green copper aluminum phosphate gemstone valued for thousands of years. It has long been prized in Native American and Persian jewelry.
Tyuyamunite
A yellow, radioactive calcium uranium vanadate mineral that forms powdery crusts. It is a recognized ore of both uranium and vanadium.
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