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The mineralogy of Oxygen

General Properties
Symbol:O
Atomic Number:8
Standard atomic weight (Ar):15.9994(3)
Electron configuration:[He] 2s2 2p4
Photos
<
Oxygen
>
Atomic Properties
Electronegativity (Pauling scale):3.44
Atomic Radius:48 pm
Ionic Radius:140 pm (-2)
Van der Waals Radius:152 pm
1st Ionization energy:1314 kJ/mol
1st Electron affinity:-141 kJ/mol
Oxidation States:-2,-1,1,2
Physical Properties
Standard State:gas
Bonding Type:diatomic
Melting Point:55 K
Boiling Point:90 K
Metal/Non-Metal:nonmetal
Main isotopes of Oxygen
Isotope% in NatureHalf LifeDecay typeDecay product
15Osynthetic122.24sβ+15N
16O99.76%stable
17O0.039%stable
18O0.201%stable
Main ions of Oxygen
NameIonExample minerals
oxideO2-Quartz, Hematite
Other Information
Year Discovered:1772
Discovered By:
06630940017362065738953.png
Carl Wilhelm Scheele
Named For:from Greek: oxys - "acid" and -genes - "producer"
CPK color coding:#FF0D0D
External Links:WikipediaWebElementsLos Alamos National LaboratoryTheodore Gray's PeriodicTable.com
Simple Compounds
Fluoridesoxygen difluorideOF2+2
Oxygen as a chromophore in minerals and gems
ChromophoreDescription
O-Univalent oxygen ions replacing fluorine are believed to cause the smoky tones in some topaz.
Mineral Diversity of Oxygen
1. Elements 3 valid mineral species
2. Sulfides And Sulfosalts 31 valid mineral species
3. Halides158 valid mineral species
4. Oxides 850 valid mineral species
5. Carbonates 296 valid mineral species
6. Borates171 valid mineral species
7. Sulfates 623 valid mineral species
8. Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates1207 valid mineral species
9. Silicates 1614 valid mineral species
10. Organic Compounds67 valid mineral species
Total:5020 valid species containing essential Oxygen
Minerals with the greatest weight % of Oxygen
Cubo-iceH2O88.81 %
IceH2O88.81 %
DeferniteCa6(CO3)1.58(Si2O7)0.21(OH)7[Cl0.50(OH)0.08(H2O)0.42]85.69 %
SassoliteH3BO377.63 %
Karlite(Mg,Al)6.5(BO3)3(OH)4(◻,Cl)0.576.01 %
MeridianiiteMgSO4·11H2O75.34 %
SturmaniteCa6Fe3+2(SO4)2.5[B(OH)4](OH)12·25H2O75.04 %
HungchaoiteMg(B4O7)·9H2O74.92 %
NitromagnesiteMg(NO3)2·6H2O74.88 %
ClinobehoiteBe(OH)274.37 %
Geochemistry of Oxygen
Goldschmidt classification:Lithophile
O2- is commonly concentrated in residual soils and sediments.
O2- forms minerals with Mg2+.
O2- forms minerals with Al3+, Ti4+ and Zr4+.
O2- forms minerals with Si4+.
O2- forms minerals with Cu+.
Elemental Abundance for Oxygen
Crust (CRC Handbook)4.61 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Kaye & Laby)3.7 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Greenwood)4.55000 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Sea Water (CRC Handbook)8.57 x 10-1mass per volume fraction, kg/L
Sea Water (Kaye & Laby)8.8 x 10-1mass per volume fraction, kg/L
Atmosphere (NASA)20.946%as O2
The Sun (Kaye & Laby)2.4 x 101atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Kaye & Laby)2.4 x 101atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Ahrens)2.38 x 101 (10%)atom mole fraction relative to Si=1 (% uncertainty)
Element association of Oxygen in the Mineral World
This table compares the known valid mineral species listed listed with Oxygen 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 Oxygen and the element listed for that row.

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

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 Oxygen% of O mineralsRelative to % in all minerals
Hydrogen3436 minerals with O and H68.26%22.37% higher
Silicon1686 minerals with O and Si33.49%21.21% higher
Calcium1527 minerals with O and Ca30.33%21.94% higher
Aluminium1211 minerals with O and Al24.06%20.53% higher
Iron1198 minerals with O and Fe23.80%5.82% higher
Sodium1136 minerals with O and Na22.57%20.67% higher
Magnesium820 minerals with O and Mg16.29%21.88% higher
Phosphorus739 minerals with O and P14.68%19.50% higher
Sulfur717 minerals with O and S14.24%35.42% lower
Manganese694 minerals with O and Mn13.79%18.12% higher
Potassium589 minerals with O and K11.70%17.44% higher
Arsenic551 minerals with O and As10.95%15.76% lower
Copper515 minerals with O and Cu10.23%24.63% lower
Carbon476 minerals with O and C9.46%15.46% higher
Fluorine443 minerals with O and F8.80%11.18% higher
Titanium420 minerals with O and Ti8.34%18.97% higher
Lead411 minerals with O and Pb8.16%24.41% lower
Chlorine402 minerals with O and Cl7.99%7.92% higher
Uranium318 minerals with O and U6.32%23.22% higher
Boron307 minerals with O and B6.10%20.86% higher
Zinc307 minerals with O and Zn6.10%8.08% higher
Vanadium284 minerals with O and V5.64%17.04% higher
Barium282 minerals with O and Ba5.60%20.24% higher
Cerium190 minerals with O and Ce3.77%21.94% higher
Niobium186 minerals with O and Nb3.69%21.27% higher
Strontium172 minerals with O and Sr3.42%21.11% higher
Zirconium150 minerals with O and Zr2.98%23.22% higher
Nitrogen140 minerals with O and N2.78%9.18% higher
Yttrium140 minerals with O and Y2.78%20.64% higher
Beryllium133 minerals with O and Be2.64%23.22% higher
Lithium119 minerals with O and Li2.36%19.21% higher
Tellurium108 minerals with O and Te2.15%39.51% lower
Antimony104 minerals with O and Sb2.07%63.59% lower
Chromium94 minerals with O and Cr1.87%0.72% higher
Nickel92 minerals with O and Ni1.83%46.53% lower
Bismuth85 minerals with O and Bi1.69%59.72% lower
Molybdenum84 minerals with O and Mo1.67%5.62% higher
Lanthanum83 minerals with O and La1.65%21.76% higher
Tantalum69 minerals with O and Ta1.37%18.09% higher
Neodymium54 minerals with O and Nd1.07%23.22% higher
Selenium53 minerals with O and Se1.05%60.66% lower
Tin50 minerals with O and Sn0.99%45.96% lower
Tungsten50 minerals with O and W0.99%10.02% higher
Cobalt47 minerals with O and Co0.93%24.79% lower
Thorium41 minerals with O and Th0.81%23.22% higher
Mercury34 minerals with O and Hg0.68%62.26% lower
Caesium30 minerals with O and Cs0.60%12.02% higher
Scandium27 minerals with O and Sc0.54%23.22% higher
Iodine19 minerals with O and I0.38%29.05% lower
Germanium18 minerals with O and Ge0.36%48.42% lower
Cadmium18 minerals with O and Cd0.36%34.76% lower
Thallium12 minerals with O and Tl0.24%84.10% lower
Bromine11 minerals with O and Br0.22%20.27% lower
Silver9 minerals with O and Ag0.18%95.42% lower
Gadolinium6 minerals with O and Gd0.12%23.22% higher
Samarium6 minerals with O and Sm0.12%23.22% higher
Ytterbium6 minerals with O and Yb0.12%23.22% higher
Gallium5 minerals with O and Ga0.10%31.54% lower
Rubidium5 minerals with O and Rb0.10%23.22% higher
Dysprosium3 minerals with O and Dy0.06%23.22% higher
Indium2 minerals with O and In0.04%85.50% lower
Erbium1 mineral with O and Er0.02%23.22% higher
Hafnium1 mineral with O and Hf0.02%23.22% higher
Palladium1 mineral with O and Pd0.02%98.60% lower
Praseodymium1 mineral with O and Pr0.02%23.22% higher
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 O Relative Frequency
Nitrogen << Oxygen >> Fluorine


Most widespread minerals containing Oxygen
This list of minerals containing Oxygen 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 Oxygen mineral species. It is more useful when comparing rare species rather than common species.
NameFormulaCrystal SystemMindat Localities
QuartzSiO2Trigonal77918
CalciteCaCO3Trigonal36403
MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2Monoclinic22887
MagnetiteFe2+Fe3+2O4Isometric19692
HematiteFe2O3Trigonal18891
MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2Monoclinic15053
BaryteBaSO4Orthorhombic14572
DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2Trigonal12602
AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)Triclinic12443
Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)Monoclinic10974
Photos
08158000017362788755590.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Sanming, Fujian, China

02248060017371358097780.jpg
Calcite, etc.

La Florida mining area, Sierra de Arnero, Cantabria, Spain

00605360017271925316286.jpg
Muscovite

Zé Pinto claim, Aldeia, Cuparaque, Minas Gerais, Brazil

08474750017271929244437.jpg
Magnetite

Tre Croci, Vetralla, Viterbo Province, Lazio, Italy

04359770017362787055885.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Sanming, Fujian, China

02248060017371358097780.jpg
Calcite, etc.

La Florida mining area, Sierra de Arnero, Cantabria, Spain
00605360017271925316286.jpg
Muscovite

Zé Pinto claim, Aldeia, Cuparaque, Minas Gerais, Brazil
08474750017271929244437.jpg
Magnetite

Tre Croci, Vetralla, Viterbo Province, Lazio, Italy
08158000017362788755590.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Sanming, Fujian, China
09401180017371358225897.jpg
Calcite, etc.

La Florida mining area, Sierra de Arnero, Cantabria, Spain
00605360017271925316286.jpg
Muscovite

Zé Pinto claim, Aldeia, Cuparaque, Minas Gerais, Brazil
08474750017271929244437.jpg
Magnetite

Tre Croci, Vetralla, Viterbo Province, Lazio, Italy

Localities with greatest number of different Oxygen 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, Canada400 O minerals
2Clara Mine, Oberwolfach, Ortenaukreis, Freiburg Region, Baden-Württemberg, Germany364 O minerals
3Tsumeb Mine (Ongopolo Mine), Tsumeb, Oshikoto Region, Namibia274 O minerals
4Långban Mine, Långban Ore District, Filipstad, Värmland County, Sweden271 O minerals
5Jáchymov, Karlovy Vary District, Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic205 O minerals
6Caspar quarry, Ettringen, Vordereifel, Mayen-Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany205 O minerals
7Sterling Mine, Sterling Hill, Ogdensburg, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA201 O minerals
8Hilarion Mine, Kamariza Mines (Kamareza Mines), Agios Konstantinos (Kamariza), Lavreotiki, East Attica, Attica, Greece187 O minerals


Significant minerals containing Oxygen
More than 70% of all known mineral species contain oxygen and the vast majority of the earth's crust is made up of silicates, oxides and carbonates - all of which contain oxygen.

Some important examples are listed below:

NameFormulaCrystal System
QuartzSiO2Trigonal
HematiteFe2O3Trigonal
CalciteCaCO3Trigonal
SpinelMgAl2O4Isometric
CorundumAl2O3Trigonal
ForsteriteMg2(SiO4)Orthorhombic
AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)Triclinic
AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)Triclinic
Photos
04404780017272099854057.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
02595130017271948718256.jpg
Hematite, etc.

Wessels Mine, Joe Morolong Local Municipality, John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa
03926390017271929245518.jpg
Calcite, etc.

Onganja Mine, Helen Farm 235, Seeis, Windhoek Rural, Khomas Region, Namibia
01764540017271926684007.jpg
Spinel

Lục Yên District, Yên Bái Province, Vietnam
04404780017272099854057.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
02595130017271948718256.jpg
Hematite, etc.

Wessels Mine, Joe Morolong Local Municipality, John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa
03926390017271929245518.jpg
Calcite, etc.

Onganja Mine, Helen Farm 235, Seeis, Windhoek Rural, Khomas Region, Namibia
01764540017271926684007.jpg
Spinel

Lục Yên District, Yên Bái Province, Vietnam
04404780017272099854057.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
04489090017271953377010.jpg
Hematite, etc.

Wessels Mine, Joe Morolong Local Municipality, John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, Northern Cape, South Africa
03926390017271929245518.jpg
Calcite, etc.

Onganja Mine, Helen Farm 235, Seeis, Windhoek Rural, Khomas Region, Namibia
01764540017271926684007.jpg
Spinel

Lục Yên District, Yên Bái Province, Vietnam
 
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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.
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