This page brings together a complete list of 15 minerals that start with the letter X, ranging alphabetically from “Xanthoconite” to “Xanthoarsenite.” These are rare and often colorful minerals, many of them prized by collectors and named for the places where they were first discovered. Some serve as valuable ores for metals and rare earth elements, while others are used in industry for products like heat-resistant insulation.
Minerals are naturally occurring solid substances with a specific chemical makeup and an orderly internal structure. They form through geological processes deep in the Earth or near its surface. Interestingly, several minerals on this list carry names drawn from the Nahuatl language, including one named after the word for chocolate because of its rich brown color.
Below you’ll find the table with the columns Mineral and Description.
Mineral: This gives you the official name of each mineral, so you can quickly identify it and look it up or research it further on your own.
Description: This offers a short, plain summary of each mineral, telling you its color, chemical type, where it forms, and what people use it for.
Minerals
Mineral
Xanthoconite
Xenotime
Xonotlite
Xanthophyllite
Xanthosiderite
Xanthoxenite
Xitieshanite
Xocomecatlite
Xanthiosite
Xilingolite
Xingzhongite
Xocolatlite
Xenophyllite
Xitieshmaite
Xanthoarsenite
Descriptions
Xanthoconite
A rare red to orange-yellow silver arsenic sulfide mineral, valued by collectors. It often forms alongside proustite and is found in silver-rich hydrothermal veins.
Xenotime
A yellowish-brown phosphate mineral rich in yttrium and rare earth elements. It is an important ore for these metals and commonly occurs in granites and pegmatites.
Xonotlite
A white to gray calcium silicate mineral that forms fibrous or matted masses. It is used industrially in heat-resistant insulation products.
Xanthophyllite
An old name for clintonite, a brittle brass-yellow to greenish mica found in metamorphosed limestones and skarns.
Xanthosiderite
A historic name for goethite-type iron oxide-hydroxide, typically yellowish-brown and formed by the weathering of iron-bearing minerals.
Xanthoxenite
A pale yellow calcium iron phosphate mineral found in altered phosphate pegmatites, often associated with other secondary phosphates.
Xitieshanite
A green hydrated iron sulfate-chloride mineral, first described from the Xitieshan deposit in China where it forms by oxidation of sulfides.
Xocomecatlite
A rare green copper tellurate mineral that forms tiny spherical clusters. It was named after the Nahuatl word for a bunch of grapes, which its crystals resemble.
Xanthiosite
A yellow nickel arsenate mineral occurring as a rare secondary product in oxidized nickel-bearing ore deposits.
Xilingolite
A gray lead bismuth sulfide mineral with a metallic luster, named for the Xilingol region of Inner Mongolia where it was discovered.
Xingzhongite
A gray platinum-group sulfide mineral found in placer deposits, prized for its rare combination of lead, copper, and platinum-group elements.
Xocolatlite
A rare brown calcium manganese tellurate mineral whose name comes from the Nahuatl word for chocolate, reflecting its color.
Xenophyllite
A rare sodium iron phosphate mineral identified in meteorites, formed under the unusual conditions of extraterrestrial rock.
Xitieshmaite
A rare hydrated sulfate mineral associated with oxidized zones of metal deposits, occurring as small crystalline crusts.
Xanthoarsenite
A historic name for an arsenate mineral now generally classified under the sarkinite group, typically yellow and found in manganese deposits.
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