International Mineralogical Association

revised 03/01/2020

Current MSA Representative: George E. Harlow

IMA Reports

The Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC)

The Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) was formed in July 2006 by a merger between the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (CNMMN) and the Commission on Classification of Minerals, at the request of both commissions. The Chairman has published a paper on this merger in Elements, Volume 2, Number 6, December 2006, p. 388. The current and past activities and reports of the (CNNNC-IMA) can be found at their website. Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification

Recent IMA Reports published in the American Mineralogist

Nomenclature of the garnet supergroup, 2013
Edward S. Grew et al. pdf (2.3 MB)

Nomenclature of the amphibole supergroup, 2012
Frank C. Hawthorne et al. pdf (4.6 MB)

Codification of unnamed minerals, 2008
Dorian G.W. Smith, and Ernest H. Nickel pdf (487 KB)

Named Amphiboles: A new category of amphiboles recognized by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) and a defined sequence order for the use of prefixes in amphibole names, 2005
Ernst A.J. Burke And Bernard E. Leake pdf (84 KB)

New minerals approved in 2003 and nomenclature modifi cations approved in 2003 by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, International Mineralogical Association, 2004
Ernst A.J. Burke and Giovanni Ferraris pdf (135 KB)

Nomenclature of amphiboles: Additions and revisions to the International Mineralogical Association's amphibole nomenclature, 2004
Bernard E. Leake et al. pdf (188 KB)

New minerals approved in 2001 by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names International Mineralogical Association, 2003
Joel D. Grice and Giovanni Ferraris pdf (188 KB)

New minerals approved in 2002 and nomenclature modifications approved 1998-2002 by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, International Mineralogical Association, 2002
Joel D. Grice and Giovanni Ferraris pdf (188 KB)

IMA Reports prior to 1998 published in the Canadian Mineralogist

Robert F. Martin, editor The Canadian Mineralogist, has kindly let the Mineralogical Society of American host a set of International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names reports that were compiled by the Mineralogical Association of Canada and the Canadian Mineralogist on the occasion of the IMA 17th General Meeting in Toronto (August 1998). These reports are also available at the Mineralogical Association of Canada both as an electronic version and as a Booklet.

PREAMBLE
R.F. Martin pdf (12 KB)

The IMA Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names: procedures and guidelines on mineral nomenclature, 1998
E.H. Nickel and J.D. Grice pdf (332 KB)

On the use of names, prefixes and suffixes, and adjectival modifiers in the mineralogical nomenclature, 1980
M.H. Hey and G. Gottardi pdf (176 KB)

Procedures involving the IMACommission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, and guidelines on mineral nomenclature (excerpt), 1987
E.H. Nickel and J.A. Mandarino pdf (180 KB)

The definition of a mineral, 1995
E.H. Nickel pdf (264 KB)

Formal definitions of type mineral specimens, 1987
P.J. Dunn and J.A. Mandarino pdf (236 KB)

Protocols for scientists on the deposition of investigated mineral specimens, 1989
P.J. Dunn pdf (112 KB)

Solid solutions in mineral nomenclature, 1992
E.H. Nickel pdf (324 KB)

Standardization of polytype suffixes, 1993
E.H. Nickel pdf (128 KB)

Report of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) — International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) joint committee on nomenclature, 1978
S.W. Bailey et al. pdf (728 KB)

Nomenclature of the micas, 1998
M. Rieder et al. pdf (412 KB)

Nomenclature of amphiboles: report of the Subcommittee on Amphiboles of the International Mineralogical Association, Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, 1997
B.E. Leake et al. pdf (1.2 MB)

Nomenclature of pyroxenes, 1989
N. Morimoto et al. pdf (1.5 MB)

Recommended nomenclature for zeolite minerals: report of the Subcommittee on Zeolites of the International Mineralogical Association, Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, 1997
D.S. Coombs et al. pdf (340 KB)

Classification and nomenclature of the pyrochlore group, 1977
D.D. Hogarth pdf (1.0 MB)

Nomenclature of platinum-group-element alloys: review and revision, 1991
D.C. Harris and L.J. Cabr /i pdf (1.1 MB)

The discreditation of mineral species, 1990
P.J. Dunn pdf (500 KB)

Mineral names applied to synthetic substances, 1995
E.H. Nickel pdf (112 KB)

Appendix. Symbols of the rock-forming minerals
After Kretz and Spear pdf (140 KB)