VOOZH about

URL: https://www.mindat.org/element/Aluminium

⇱ The mineralogy of Aluminium

👁 Image
Now Featuring: The Bruce Carter Collection at Heritage Auctions, Live May 16th
Log InRegister
AboutSupport UsPhotosDiscussionsSearchLearnMore

The mineralogy of Aluminium

About Aluminium
Aluminium, also known as aluminum, is a silvery grey metallic solid at standard temperature and pressure. It is soft, nonmagnetic and ductile. It is the third most abundant element in the Earth's crust after oxygen and silicon.
General Properties
Symbol:Al
Commodity pages:Bauxite (Aluminium)
Atomic Number:13
Standard atomic weight (Ar):26.9815386(8)
Electron configuration:[Ne] 3s2 3p1
Photos
<
Chunk of aluminium
>
Atomic Properties
Electronegativity (Pauling scale):1.61
Atomic Radius:118 pm
Ionic Radius:53.5 pm (+3)
1st Ionization energy:578 kJ/mol
1st Electron affinity:-43 kJ/mol
Oxidation States:1,3
Physical Properties
Standard State:solid
Bonding Type:metallic
Melting Point:933 K
Boiling Point:2792 K
Density:2.7 g/cm3
Metal/Non-Metal:metal
Main isotopes of Aluminium
Isotope% in NatureHalf LifeDecay typeDecay product
26Altrace7.17×105yβ+26Mg
ε26Mg
27Al100%stable
Main ions of Aluminium
NameIonExample minerals
aluminiumAl3+, Gibbsite, Cryolite
[AlF6]3-Cryolite, Cryolithionite, Carlhintzeite
[AlF(H2O)5]2+
Other Information
Year Discovered:1808
Discovered By:
Year Predicted:1787
Year Isolated:1825
Isolated By:
👁 01280630017362074899395.jpg
Hans Christian Ørsted
Named For:from Latin: alumen - "bitter salt"
CPK color coding:#BFA6A6
External Links:WikipediaWebElementsLos Alamos National LaboratoryTheodore Gray's PeriodicTable.com
Simple Compounds and Mineral Names
Nitridesaluminium nitrideAlN
Sulfidesdialuminium trisulfideAl2S3+3
Selenidesdialuminium triselenideAl2Se3+3
Telluridesdialuminium tritellurideAl2Te3+3
Hydridesaluminium trihydrideAlH3+3
Hydroxidesaluminium hydroxideAl(OH)3+3Gibbsite, Bayerite, Doyleite, Nordstrandite
aluminium oxide hydroxideAlOOH+3Diaspore, Böhmite
Fluoridesaluminium trifluorideAlF3+3Oskarssonite
aluminium trifluoride trihydrateAlF3 · 3H2O+3Rosenbergite
Chloridesdialuminium hexachloride[AlCl3]2+3
aluminium chloride hexahydrateAlCl3 · 6H2O+3Chloraluminite
Bromidesdialuminium hexabromide[AlBr3]2+3
Iodidesdialuminium hexaiodide[AlI3]2+3
Oxidesaluminium oxideAl2O3+3Corundum
Carbonatesaluminium carbonateAl2(CO3)3+3
Nitratesaluminium nitrateAl(NO3)3+3
aluminium nitrate nonahydrateAl(NO3)3 · 9H2O+3
Sulfatesaluminium sulfateAl2(SO4)3+3
aluminium sulfate dodecahydrateAl2(SO4)3 · 12H2O+3Meta-alunogen
aluminium sulfate hexadecahydrateAl2(SO4)3 · 16H2O+3
aluminium sulfate heptadecahydrateAl2(SO4)3 · 17H2O+3Alunogen
Phosphatesaluminium phosphateAlPO4+3Berlinite
aluminium phosphate dihydrateAlPO4 · 2H2O+3Variscite, Metavariscite
Arsenatesaluminium arsenateAlAsO4+3Alarsite
aluminium arsenate dihydrateAlAsO4 · 2H2O+3Mansfieldite
Vanadatesaluminium vanadateAlVO4+3
aluminium vanadate trihydrateAlVO4 · 3H2O+3Steigerite
Niobates/Tantalatesaluminium tantalateAlTaO4+3Alumotantite
Mineral Diversity of Aluminium
1. Elements 11 valid mineral species
2. Sulfides And Sulfosalts 4 valid mineral species
3. Halides50 valid mineral species
4. Oxides 96 valid mineral species
5. Carbonates 32 valid mineral species
6. Borates15 valid mineral species
7. Sulfates 101 valid mineral species
8. Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates248 valid mineral species
9. Silicates 586 valid mineral species
10. Organic Compounds5 valid mineral species
Total:1148 valid species containing essential Aluminium
Minerals with the greatest weight % of Aluminium
Native AluminiumAl100.00 %
Kryachkoite(Al,Cu)6(Fe,Cu)74.35 %
HollisteriteAl3Fe59.17 %
ProxidecagoniteAl34Ni9Fe258.91 %
Ferronigerite-6N6S(Al,Fe,Zn)3(Al,Sn,Fe)8O15(OH)53.59 %
DecagoniteAl71Ni24Fe553.16 %
Deltalumite(Al0.67◻0.33)Al2O452.96 %
CorundumAl2O352.93 %
Ferronigerite-2N1S(Al,Fe,Zn)2(Al,Sn)6O11(OH)52.79 %
AkdalaiteAl10O14(OH)251.12 %
Geochemistry of Aluminium
Goldschmidt classification:Lithophile
Al3+ was one of the ions least depleted from the mantle in the formation of the crust.
Al3+ is enriched in Ca-Al-rich inclusions in meteorites relative to the composition of the solar system.
Al3+ enters early-forming phases in igneous rocks.
Al3+ is commonly concentrated in residual soils and sediments.
Al3+ is concentrated in deep-sea ferromanganese nodules relative to seawater.
Elemental Aluminium in Nature
Found as native element:Native AluminiumAl
SteinhardtiteAl0.38Ni0.32Fe0.30
Found as natural alloy with Cu:Cupalite(Cu,Zn)Al
Elemental Abundance for Aluminium
Crust (CRC Handbook)8.23 x 10-2mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Kaye & Laby)8.0 x 10-2mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Greenwood)8.3000 x 10-2mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Taylor)8.4100 x 10-2mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Wänke)8.3050 x 10-2mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Weaver)8.5200 x 10-2mass fraction, kg/kg
Upper Crust (Ahrens/Taylor)8.0400 x 10-2mass fraction, kg/kg
Upper Crust (Ahrens/Shaw)7.7400 x 10-2mass fraction, kg/kg
Sea Water (CRC Handbook)2 x 10-9mass per volume fraction, kg/L
Sea Water (Kaye & Laby)1 x 10-9mass per volume fraction, kg/L
The Sun (Kaye & Laby)8.3 x 10-2atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Kaye & Laby)8.5 x 10-2atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Ahrens)8.49 x 10-2 (3.6%)atom mole fraction relative to Si=1 (% uncertainty)
Element association of Aluminium in the Mineral World
This table compares the known valid mineral species listed listed with Aluminium and the other elements listed based on the official IMA formula. Note that unlike other sections on this page this includes non-essential elements.

The first data column contains the total number of minerals listed with Aluminium and the element listed for that row.

The second data column lists this number as a percentage of all minerals listed with Aluminium.

The final data column compares this percentage against the percentage of all minerals that contain the element listed in each row.

Click on a heading to sort.
ElementValid Minerals listed with element and Aluminium% of Al mineralsRelative to % in all minerals
Oxygen1210 minerals with Al and O97.82%20.52% higher
Hydrogen946 minerals with Al and H76.48%37.26% higher
Silicon659 minerals with Al and Si53.27%93.02% higher
Calcium469 minerals with Al and Ca37.91%52.29% higher
Sodium338 minerals with Al and Na27.32%46.28% higher
Magnesium290 minerals with Al and Mg23.44%75.62% higher
Iron290 minerals with Al and Fe23.44%4.36% higher
Potassium210 minerals with Al and K16.98%70.04% higher
Phosphorus206 minerals with Al and P16.65%35.36% higher
Sulfur175 minerals with Al and S14.15%35.83% lower
Fluorine165 minerals with Al and F13.34%69.05% higher
Manganese127 minerals with Al and Mn10.27%11.94% lower
Boron93 minerals with Al and B7.52%49.16% higher
Arsenic68 minerals with Al and As5.50%57.65% lower
Carbon65 minerals with Al and C5.25%35.77% lower
Chlorine65 minerals with Al and Cl5.25%28.91% lower
Copper62 minerals with Al and Cu5.01%63.08% lower
Barium59 minerals with Al and Ba4.77%2.49% higher
Titanium57 minerals with Al and Ti4.61%34.37% lower
Lithium52 minerals with Al and Li4.20%112.24% higher
Zinc47 minerals with Al and Zn3.80%32.39% lower
Strontium46 minerals with Al and Sr3.72%31.21% higher
Vanadium44 minerals with Al and V3.56%26.12% lower
Beryllium41 minerals with Al and Be3.31%53.60% higher
Cerium38 minerals with Al and Ce3.07%0.64% lower
Lead38 minerals with Al and Pb3.07%71.53% lower
Nitrogen24 minerals with Al and N1.94%23.74% lower
Lanthanum24 minerals with Al and La1.94%41.75% higher
Uranium24 minerals with Al and U1.94%62.11% lower
Yttrium18 minerals with Al and Y1.46%37.25% lower
Nickel15 minerals with Al and Ni1.21%64.48% lower
Zirconium11 minerals with Al and Zr0.89%63.19% lower
Tin11 minerals with Al and Sn0.89%51.56% lower
Antimony10 minerals with Al and Sb0.81%85.74% lower
Niobium9 minerals with Al and Nb0.73%76.34% lower
Chromium8 minerals with Al and Cr0.65%65.08% lower
Neodymium8 minerals with Al and Nd0.65%24.22% lower
Caesium7 minerals with Al and Cs0.57%6.49% higher
Thorium7 minerals with Al and Th0.57%14.29% lower
Tantalum6 minerals with Al and Ta0.49%58.16% lower
Scandium5 minerals with Al and Sc0.40%7.03% lower
Tungsten5 minerals with Al and W0.40%55.18% lower
Germanium4 minerals with Al and Ge0.32%53.30% lower
Selenium4 minerals with Al and Se0.32%87.90% lower
Molybdenum4 minerals with Al and Mo0.32%79.51% lower
Rubidium3 minerals with Al and Rb0.24%201.21% higher
Tellurium3 minerals with Al and Te0.24%93.19% lower
Samarium2 minerals with Al and Sm0.16%67.34% higher
Cobalt1 mineral with Al and Co0.08%93.48% lower
Gallium1 mineral with Al and Ga0.08%44.22% lower
Cadmium1 mineral with Al and Cd0.08%85.23% lower
Ytterbium1 mineral with Al and Yb0.08%16.33% lower
Mercury1 mineral with Al and Hg0.08%95.48% lower
Thallium1 mineral with Al and Tl0.08%94.60% lower
Bismuth1 mineral with Al and Bi0.08%98.08% lower
Periodic Table
1H 2He
3Li 4Be 5B 6C 7N 8O 9F 10Ne
11Na 12Mg 13Al 14Si 15P 16S 17Cl 18Ar
19K 20Ca 21Sc 22Ti 23V 24Cr 25Mn 26Fe 27Co 28Ni 29Cu 30Zn 31Ga 32Ge 33As 34Se 35Br 36Kr
37Rb 38Sr 39Y 40Zr 41Nb 42Mo 43Tc 44Ru 45Rh 46Pd 47Ag 48Cd 49In 50Sn 51Sb 52Te 53I 54Xe
55Cs 56Ba 57La 72Hf 73Ta 74W 75Re 76Os 77Ir 78Pt 79Au 80Hg 81Tl 82Pb 83Bi 84Po 85At 86Rn
87Fr 88Ra 89Ac 104Rd 105Db 106Sg 107Bh 108Hs 109Mt 110Ds 111Rg 112Cn 113Nh 114Fl 115Mc 116Lv 117Ts 118Og
58Ce 59Pr 60Nd 61Pm 62Sm 63Eu 64Gd 65Tb 66Dy 67Ho 68Er 69Tm 70Yb 71Lu
90Th 91Pa 92U 93Np 94Pu 95Am 96Cm 97Bk 98Cf 99Es 100Fm 101Md 102No 103Lr
Default Categories CPK Electronegativity Atomic Radius Lowest Oxidation Highest Oxidation Crustal Abundance Goldschmidt Mineral Species Minerals with Al Relative Frequency
Magnesium << Aluminium >> Silicon


Most widespread minerals containing Aluminium
This list of minerals containing Aluminium is built from the mindat.org locality database. This is based on the number of localities entered for mineral species and is therefore slanted towards minerals interesting to collectors with less coverage of common rock-forming-minerals so it does not give an undistorted distribution of Aluminium mineral species. It is more useful when comparing rare species rather than common species.
NameFormulaCrystal SystemMindat Localities
MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2Monoclinic22998
AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)Triclinic12530
Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)Monoclinic11018
KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4Triclinic7144
MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)Triclinic6462
BerylBe3Al2(Si6O18)Hexagonal5267
ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1Orthorhombic4267
PhlogopiteKMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2Monoclinic3422
OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)Monoclinic3328
SchorlNaFe2+3Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH)Trigonal3248
Photos

Localities with greatest number of different Aluminium mineral species
1Poudrette quarry (De-Mix quarry; Demix quarry; Uni-Mix quarry; Carrière Mont Saint-Hilaire; MSH), Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada85 Al minerals
2Caspar quarry, Ettringen, Vordereifel, Mayen-Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany76 Al minerals
Sakha, Russia64 Al minerals
4Clara Mine, Oberwolfach, Ortenaukreis, Freiburg Region, Baden-Württemberg, Germany63 Al minerals
5Sissone Valley, Chiesa in Valmalenco, Sondrio Province, Lombardy, Italy52 Al minerals
6Foote Lithium Co. Mine, Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, North Carolina, USA51 Al minerals
Lovozero Massif, Murmansk Oblast, Russia51 Al minerals
Hatrurim Formation, Middle East50 Al minerals


Important ores of Aluminium
The main ore of aluminium is the rock bauxite which contains a significant amount of aluminium hydroxide minerals.
NameFormulaCrystal System
Bauxite
GibbsiteAl(OH)3Monoclinic
BöhmiteAlO(OH)Orthorhombic
DiasporeAlO(OH)Orthorhombic
Photos


Other significant minerals containing Aluminium
NameFormulaCrystal System
CorundumAl2O3Trigonal
SpinelMgAl2O4Isometric
AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)Triclinic
AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)Triclinic
CryoliteNa2NaAlF6Monoclinic
Photos


Spotted a mistake/omission? - These pages are a work in progress, so please send all comments/corrections to jolyon@mindat.org. Thank you.

Constants and physical property data from:

Lide, David R. - Ed. (2005) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics - A Ready-Reference Book of Chemical and Physical Data (85th ed.). CRC Press.
National Physical Laboratory (2005) Kaye and Laby Online (discontinued). https://web.archive.org/web/20190506031327/http://www.kayelaby.npl.co.uk/
Kaye, G. W. C.; Laby, T. H. (n.d.) Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants and some Mathematical Functions. Longmans, Green, and Co.
Greenwood, N.N.; Earnshaw, A. (1997) Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth–Heinemann.
Ahrens, Thomas J. - Ed. (1995) Global Earth Physics - A Handbook of Physical Constants - AGU Reference Shelf No. 1. American Geophysical Union.
Railsback, L. Bruce (2003) An earth scientist's periodic table of the elements and their ions. Geology, 31 (9) 737 doi:10.1130/g19542.1
Emsley, John (2001) Nature's Building Blocks - An A-Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: April 4, 2026 09:00:05
Go to top of page