The mineralogical system: 2D projections and their potential in mineral identification

Abstract

All minerals in the mineralogical system can be projected onto a plane using four pairs of functions: each pair consists of the InfEnt function and one of four Qual functions. InfEnt is the information entropy (a function of the stoichiometry of a mineral formula), and Qual_1 . . . Qual_4 are different but related functions of the atomic numbers of the elements present. The InfEnt vs. Qual plots for mineral groups or for the whole system offer a new insight into the behavior of chemical elements in minerals. They also permit plotting of scalar physical properties as a third dimension. The InfEnt and Qual data for 4872 mineral end-members are stored in a file that can be searched and used to identify unidentified or new mineral phases.