# Mineral Database > Offline searchable mineral database with detailed properties and photos. (iPhone/iPad app by Danny Pilkenton.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mineral-database/id736738403 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Danny Pilkenton](https://appshunter.io/developer/1445079601) - Category: Reference, Education - Price: $1.99 - Rating: 4.56/5 from 16 App Store ratings · 13 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 10.3 · 1.2 GB - Languages: English - Released: 2013-11-08 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mineral-database/id736738403/reviews.md ## What is Mineral Database? This app provides a quick reference for students, educators, professionals, or anyone interested in minerals. This searchable database is easy to use. No internet connection is required. Ideal for field use. Entries for more than 300 common mineral species cover the vast majority of occurrences without presenting an overwhelming number of obscure species rarely encountered. The software provides hand sample photos, photomicrographs of thin sections, physical properties, crystal structure animations, optical properties, classification, and occurrence data as well as partial data for many more species, varieties, groups, sub-groups, and series. Search for color, hardness, and streak in field and classroom uses. Use the app as a companion to a polarizing light microscope by searching for birefringence or refractive index. Identify your unknown mineral through use of any or all 54 search criteria. The comprehensive search feature allows mineral identification by using known physical properties (such as color, streak, luster etc.) or crystal and optical properties. Or, you can visually search the hand sample photos and photomicrographs using the pop-up image galleries. ## Key features - Offline mineral database - Searchable by 54 criteria - Hand sample photos - Thin section photomicrographs - Crystal structure animations - Physical and optical properties ## Recent user reviews (10 of 13) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mineral-database/id736738403/reviews.md ### 5/5 — How to restore your purchase *2024-11-25* If you purchased this before, try to buy again and Apple will figure out you own it. You won’t be charged again. This fixes the confused Purchase History! ### 4/5 — Not made for a casual/hobbyist *2022-03-29* This is no fault of the app or developers, but some of the reviews made it seem like it might be a fit for identifying minerals while rockhounding, and it is not, so do not lose your $10 like I did! For example, trying to learn about jasper showed me the entry for quartz. Completely understand why, but totally not at all what I needed. My knowledge is pretty basic so maybe more seasoned folks could get more use out of it; the app functions very well as far as I can tell! ### 5/5 — Great app *2022-02-10* Good for looking up minerals easy to use good price nice pictures ### 3/5 — Why, why, why no landscape display mode⁉️ *2020-11-30* This review is specifically to highlight that this app lacks the option to display its contents in both portrait and landscape mode. Developer, please feel free to let me know if/when you upgrade the app accordingly and I will be happy to amend (and flesh out my review). Meanwhile, I feel like I wasted my money — this is an accessibility issue for me and the lack of landscape mode means I will be far less comfortable viewing its contents on my iPad. Thanks in advance if you upgrade the app... ### 5/5 — Fantastic Mineral Reference App! *2019-03-02* I use this app to look up minerals that I own or want to add to my collection. The search function is easy and the results are very detailed and helpful. Highly recommended! ### 2/5 — Nice looking but inadequate *2016-02-15* I was looking for an app that would help speed up the identification of minerals in my thin-section work, which otherwise requires a lot of flipping through pages in standard textbooks to find properties that match an unknown mineral. I saw that the Tasa Mineral Database included optical data in its search form, so decided to give it a try. The app is good-looking, with lots of nice photos of nice mineral specimens. It offers a very wide range of potentially useful information about a good variety of minerals. Unfortunately, this information is a mile wide and an inch thick. The app falls down when you try to put it to work. The search feature was my primary interest in the app, but it turned out to be frustratingly inadequate. The search interface is a problem. All fields must be filled by typing in data. For example, in the “Optic type” field, the user must type in “U-n-i-a-x-i-a-l”. There are only three possible choices: Uniaxial, Biaxial, Isotropic. Why couldn’t the field (and other fields that have pre-defined choices) be constructed with a popup list so the user could simply tap the desired choice, rather than having to type in long words (and risk spelling errors on the dinky iPhone screen). It makes searching very laborious, especially when searches turn up no results, requiring the fields to be re-entered. Some search fields offer no hints, so the user has to simply guess what to type, and hope for the best. For example, “geologic occurrence”: what do you type? To try it, I entered “skarn” and got a list of minerals, which didn’t include calcite! Obviously the database is very hit-and-miss. Same for “diagnostic properties”: there is no hint button for this search field, so what do you enter? Interface inconsistencies are another issue. Each image in the photomicrograph gallery has a (i) button to tap for more information. In some photos, the info screen gives useful information about the specimen. In other cases, there is none. For example, in the numerous photomicrographs of quartz, several different and distinctive forms are illustrated, but pressing the info button simply returns “Photo by Peter Crowley”. This is great for Peter Crowley, but tells the user nothing about the specimen: what exactly are we looking at? The photos are uncaptioned, so again we’re left guessing. The animated crystal shape graphic only rotates on a single axis, limiting its use. For example, it would nice to be able to look at a crystal from different angles to get an idea of how it might look in a random thin-section cut. The crystal structure models all rotate in three dimensions, but not the crystal shapes. The app is ill-suited for thin-section work: there is no search field for relief, or for sign of elongation, though some (by no means all) “optical comment” fields mention relief (the calcite description doesn’t, which is an oversight, because variable relief on stage rotation is a distinctive characteristic of calcite). There is no—or at least no consistent— data on pleochroism; it is occasionally mentioned in “optical comment” (though surprisingly not for biotite, glaucophane or ferrohornblende, three of many minerals that have strong and very distinctive pleochroism). Typing “pleochroism” into any of the likely search fields returns no results. Other information is of limited value (biotite: soluble in hot sulfuric acid), yet another example of how the app tries too hard to cover all the bases, but spreads itself too thinly and fails to satisfy. I spent the $14 so I’ll probably keep the app to look at or show other people the nice photos, or to quickly look up chemical formulas, crystal systems, etc., but I’ll have to stick with the textbooks to do any practical mineral identifications. ### 4/5 — Needs a new interface *2014-11-25* I love the 3D structure renderings that can rotated. But the interface is modal, so you must back out of a listing just to see the photos! There should be but a single screen for each mineral that I can just scroll. I would also appreciate a wiggle mode for the 3D structures. **Developer response:** Could you try the latest version? I believe we have addressed this issue. ### 4/5 — Great app! *2014-09-09* Would have given a 5 star rating if it had more pictures!! ### 5/5 — Amazing *2014-08-29* Finally! Professional and advanced armatures rejoice - this is the app for which you have waited. Brilliant. A must. ### 5/5 — Stunning App *2014-06-05* Should have expected this to come from Tasa. Every serious geologist should have a copy, the only thing I would like to add is the capacity to create a custom library. Again - awesome app! Well done guys! ## Frequently asked questions about Mineral Database ### What is the short name for Mineral Database? The short common name for Mineral Database is Mineral Database. ### How much does Mineral Database cost? Mineral Database costs $1.99. This is a one-time purchase and does not involve any subscriptions or in-app purchases. ### Does Mineral Database have ads? No, Mineral Database does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application with no ads. ### What devices is Mineral Database available on? Mineral Database is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. ### How often is Mineral Database updated? The latest version, 2.1, was released on December 6, 2018. The app was initially released on November 8, 2013. ### What is the age rating for Mineral Database? Mineral Database has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ### Can I identify minerals offline with Mineral Database? Yes, Mineral Database is designed for offline use. No internet connection is required, making it ideal for field use. ### What kind of information does Mineral Database provide for each mineral? Mineral Database provides hand sample photos, photomicrographs of thin sections, physical properties, crystal structure animations, optical properties, classification, and occurrence data for over 300 common mineral species. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.1 — 2018-12-06 update credits screen, urls & copyright info ### 2.0 — 2018-11-21 Improved navigation for all devices. One layout for all devices. Added calculated X-ray Powder Diffraction patterns. Added Grain Mount photomicrographs. ### 1.2 — 2014-06-05 Universal app now supports iPhone and iPod touch. ### 1.1 — 2013-12-24 The mineral structures on the Optical Properties screen are now 3D structures (made with CrystalMaker Software) that may be rotated, allowing one to study the mineral from any orientation. Tapping the image provides an enlarged view of the 3D structure. This version requires iOS 6 and a 2nd generation iPad or later. ### 1.0 — 2013-11-08 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Mineral Database | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [U.S Navy Ships: A History](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/us-navy-ships-a-history/id586712673) | 3.5 (6) | $5.99 | Reference | | [Astral Essences](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astral-essences/id1619706860) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Reference | | [Women Indonesian Bible + Audio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/women-indonesian-bible-plus-audio/id1606893280) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Reference | | [Angelology](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/angelology/id1607575000) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Reference | | [Rocks & Gems](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rocks-and-gems/id351060567) | 3.0 (2) | $0.99 | Reference | | [北京版小学英语-学生最新同步点读口语专家](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1616159800) | 4.6 (921) | Free | Reference | ## More apps by Danny Pilkenton - [geotimescale enhanced](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/geotimescale-enhanced/id388459688) - [Folds and Faults](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/folds-and-faults/id425380687) - [Puzzling Plates](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puzzling-plates/id486435632) - [Earthquake Finder](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earthquake-finder/id626877098) - [African Wildlife Puzzles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/african-wildlife-puzzles/id1455484738) All apps by Danny Pilkenton: https://appshunter.io/developer/1445079601 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*