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THE MINERAL

What zeolite is

The mineralogy only: what zeolites are, how natural deposits form, and what sets clinoptilolite apart. Every fact below links to its source.

A family of minerals, not one

Zeolites are hydrated aluminosilicates of the alkaline and alkaline-earth metals.[1][2] In other words, they're built from silicon, aluminium and oxygen, with metals such as sodium, potassium and calcium and with water held in the structure. About 40 natural zeolites have been identified over the past 200 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey[1]; the Geological Survey of New South Wales puts the number of naturally occurring zeolite minerals at about 45.[4]

An open framework

What makes a zeolite a zeolite is its structure. The atoms form a porous framework, and the spaces in it are occupied by loosely held cations and water molecules.[4] Earth Resources Victoria describes zeolites as microporous aluminosilicate minerals whose positive ions are loosely held and can readily exchange in solution, a property called ion exchange that underpins their industrial and agricultural uses.[5]

How natural deposits form

Commercial deposits of natural zeolite usually form when pore water acts on volcanic glass.[4] Over time, ash beds from old eruptions are altered into rock rich in zeolite. The large clinoptilolite-bearing tuffs of the Itaya area of Japan, for example, formed from marine rhyolitic and dacitic ash.[4] Well-formed zeolite crystals are also found in cavities in volcanic rocks such as basalt; Earth Resources Victoria notes that the economic deposits, by contrast, are microcrystalline masses in sedimentary rocks, mostly volcaniclastic sediments.[5]

Clinoptilolite

Clinoptilolite is the most commonly mined natural zeolite, followed by chabazite and mordenite.[2] Mindat, a mineralogy reference, records the clinoptilolite subgroup's general formula as M3–6(Si30Al6)O72·20H2O, where M is calcium, potassium or sodium, and its crystal system as monoclinic.[6] The subgroup has three species, clinoptilolite-Ca, clinoptilolite-K and clinoptilolite-Na, named for the dominant metal.[6]

Clinoptilolite vs heulandite

Clinoptilolite and heulandite share the same framework. They are told apart by the ratio of silicon to aluminium in it: clinoptilolite has a Si:Al ratio of 4.0 or more, and heulandite less than 4.0.[6] That's why some labels and references mention the two together.

Where it's mined

In the United States, clinoptilolite is mined in California, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon and Texas, and chabazite in Arizona.[3] In Australia, the Geological Survey of New South Wales describes the state as having the country's only operating zeolite mines: the Escott mine near Werris Creek and the Bindawalla mine near Quirindi, both in the Currabubula Formation in the New England region. It describes the zeolite produced there as dominantly clinoptilolite, with small amounts of laumontite and mordenite.[4] That summary may predate more recent changes in the industry.

Zeolites also turn up as collectable crystals. Sixteen zeolite minerals have been recorded from about forty localities in Victoria, and at least twelve members of the group are found in cavities in basalt on Phillip Island.[5]

What this page doesn't cover

This page is about the mineral. It doesn't cover what zeolite products do when they're used, and nothing here is medical advice. For any product, follow the directions printed on its label[7], and if it is sold as a listed medicine, you can check its AUST L number on the ARTG.[8] If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take prescription medicines or have a medical condition, talk to your GP or pharmacist before using any supplement.

Sources

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, National Minerals Information Center — Zeolites statistics and information. www.usgs.gov
  2. Virta, R. (U.S. Geological Survey), "Natural and Synthetic Zeolites", Geotimes Mineral Resource of the Month, June 2008 (archived). webarchive.library.unt.edu
  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — Zeolites (natural). pubs.usgs.gov
  4. Geological Survey of New South Wales — Zeolites (industrial mineral summary). www.resources.nsw.gov.au
  5. Earth Resources Victoria — Zeolite. earthresources.vic.gov.au
  6. Mindat.org — Clinoptilolite Subgroup. www.mindat.org
  7. Volco Minerals — Zeolife Health Plus (maker's product page, for the stated particle size only). www.vmwa.com.au
  8. Therapeutic Goods Administration — Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) search. www.tga.gov.au

Sources checked November 2026.

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