Halide mineral

A mineral whose anions are halides—fluoride, chloride, bromide, or iodide—combined with cations. Many form when saline waters evaporate, though others occur in hydrothermal or volcanic settings.

Halide: A binary anion formed when a halogen gains electrons, including fluoride, chloride, bromide, and iodide. Halide minerals are classified by these anions.
Evaporite: A sedimentary deposit formed when dissolved minerals precipitate as water evaporates. Evaporites contain many abundant chloride minerals.
Halite: The mineral form of sodium chloride, commonly found in evaporite deposits. Halite is the best-known and most abundant halide mineral.
Salt mining: The extraction of rock salt or dissolved salt for industrial, agricultural, and culinary uses. Halite deposits are a primary source of mined salt.
Sulfate mineral: A mineral whose principal anion is the sulfate ion, SO₄²⁻. Sulfates can form in the same evaporite settings but contain a different anion.
Mineral: A naturally occurring solid with an ordered atomic structure and a characteristic chemical composition. Mineral status distinguishes these substances from soluble salts and manufactured crystals.
Evaporite sequence: The characteristic order in which minerals precipitate as a brine becomes concentrated by evaporation. Changing brine concentration controls which halide minerals crystallize first.
Fluorite: A calcium fluoride mineral found in hydrothermal veins and sedimentary rocks. Fluorite is a widespread example of a fluoride mineral.
Potash: Potassium-bearing materials used chiefly to produce fertilizers. Sylvite and related evaporite minerals supply much of the world’s potash.
Carbonate mineral: A mineral whose principal anion is the carbonate ion, CO₃²⁻. Carbonates may precipitate from saline waters but are chemically distinct from halides.

Linked from 2 pages

KainiteNarrower topic: Kainite contains chloride alongside sulfate, linking it to halide-bearing mineral chemistry.