An industrial mineral is any mineral that is valuable in the industrial economy but is not a metal ore. Some minerals will be useful directly, while others will require processing steps that differ significantly from typical ore processing. Currently, no uses of industrial minerals have been implemented (but many are planned).
Stone Minerals[]
| Mineral | Hard | Deposits |
|---|---|---|
| Alunite | Medium | Rhyolite, andesite |
| Apatite | Strong | Sedimentary Bed, carbonatite |
| Chysotile | Weak | Serpentine (0.9%) |
| Diatomite | Weak | Sedimentary bed (desert, volcanic) |
| Graphite | Weak | Graphite |
| Gypsum | Weak | Marine and lake evaporite |
| Kyanite | Strong | Pegmatite (5%) |
| Mirabilite | Weak | Lake evaporite (15%) |
| Muscovite (Mica) | Weak | Pegmatite (5%) |
| Quartz | Strong | Igneous Veins |
| Soapstone (Talc) | Weak | Serpentine (10%), Carbonate |
| Perlite | Strong | Peridotite, diorite (volcanic, w/ obsidian) |
| Pumice | Strong | Volcanic ash |
| Trona (Soda Ash) | Weak | Lake evaporite (70%) |
| Wollastonite | Medium | Carbonate, Skarn |
| Zeolite | Medium | Sedimentary Bed (volcanic) |
Sand Minerals[]
Some minerals are found in sand form and are easily shoveled. These occur in a variety of deposit types.
| Mineral | Deposits |
|---|---|
| Garnet | Placer (beach, river) |
| Volcanic Ash | Volcanic ash |
| High-purity Quartz | Desert swaths |
| Glauconite | Sedimentary bed (ocean w/ sandstone) |
Clay Minerals[]
Some minerals are generally found in mineralized soil, i.e., clay. Like clay, these are best extracted with a shovel.
| Mineral | Deposits |
|---|---|
| Bentonite | Volcanic ash |
| Fuller's Earth | Sedimentary bed (desert) |
| Kaolinite | Sedimentary bed (tropics) |
| Vermiculite | Layered intrusion (in diorite), diorite, carbonatite (4%), skarn (w/ magnesite) |