Strunz Classification of Minerals

Strunz classification is a scheme for categorizing minerals based upon their chemical composition, introduced by German mineralogist Karl Hugo Strunz (1910-2006) in his 1941 Mineralogische Tabellen.

Karl Hugo Strunz

As curator of the Mineralogical Museum of Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (now known as the Humboldt University of Berlin), Strunz had been tasked with sorting the museum’s geological collection according to crystal-chemical properties. His Mineralogical Tables, first published in 1941, has been through a number of modifications; the most recent edition, published in 2001, is the ninth.

The current scheme divides minerals into nine classes, which are further divided into divisions, families and groups according to chemical composition and crystal structure.

1. elements
2. sulfides and sulfosalts
3. halides
4. oxides and hydroxides
5. carbonates, nitrates and borates
6. sulfates, chromates, molybdates and tungstates
7. phosphates, arsenates and vanadates
8. silicates
9. organic compounds