Carpholite | |
---|---|
General | |
Category | Inosilicate |
Formula (repeating unit) | Mn2+Al2Si2O6(OH)4 |
IMA symbol | Car [1] |
Strunz classification | 9.DB.05 |
Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
Crystal class | Dipyramidal (mmm) H-M symbol: (2/m 2/m 2/m) |
Space group | Ccca |
Unit cell | a = 13.83, b = 20.31, c = 5.13 [Å]; Z = 8 |
Identification | |
Color | Yellow |
Crystal habit | Prismatic, acicular to fibrous clusters |
Twinning | On {100} |
Cleavage | Perfect on {010} |
Tenacity | Brittle |
Mohs scale hardness | 5.5-6 |
Luster | Silky |
Diaphaneity | Translucent |
Specific gravity | 2.935-3.031 |
Optical properties | Biaxial (-) |
Refractive index | nα = 1.610 nβ = 1.628 nγ = 1.630 |
Birefringence | δ = 0.020 |
Pleochroism | Distinct; X = Y = pale yellow; Z = colorless |
References | [2] [3] [4] |
Carpholite is a manganese silicate mineral with formula Mn2+Al2Si2O6(OH)4. It occurs as yellow clusters of slender prisms or needles. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system.
The carpholite group includes ferrocarpholite, magnesiocarpholite, vanadiocarpholite, and potassiccarpholite.
It was first described in 1817 for an occurrence in Horní Slavkov (Schlaggenwald), Karlovy Vary Region, Bohemia. The name derives from Greek karfos for "straw" and lithos for "stone" due to its crystal habit. [4]
Its typical occurrence is in shales that have undergone low grade metamorphism. Associated minerals include sudoite, manganoan garnet, chloritoid and fluorite. [2]
Sillimanite is an aluminosilicate mineral with the chemical formula Al2SiO5. Sillimanite is named after the American chemist Benjamin Silliman (1779–1864). It was first described in 1824 for an occurrence in Chester, Connecticut.
Albite is a plagioclase feldspar mineral. It is the sodium endmember of the plagioclase solid solution series. It represents a plagioclase with less than 10% anorthite content. The pure albite endmember has the formula NaAlSi
3O
8. It is a tectosilicate. Its color is usually pure white, hence its name from Latin, albus. It is a common constituent in felsic rocks.
Thermonatrite is a naturally occurring evaporite mineral form of sodium carbonate, Na2CO3·H2O.
Tephroite is the manganese endmember of the olivine group of nesosilicate minerals with the formula Mn2SiO4. A solid solution series exists between tephroite and its analogues, the group endmembers fayalite and forsterite. Divalent iron or magnesium may readily replace manganese in the olivine crystal structure.
Arfvedsonite is a sodium amphibole mineral with composition: [Na][Na2][(Fe2+)4Fe3+][(OH)2|Si8O22]. It crystallizes in the monoclinic prismatic crystal system and typically occurs as greenish black to bluish grey fibrous to radiating or stellate prisms.
Halotrichite, also known as feather alum, is a highly hydrated sulfate of aluminium and iron. Its chemical formula is FeAl2(SO4)4·22H2O. It forms fibrous monoclinic crystals. The crystals are water-soluble.
Aegirine is a member of the clinopyroxene group of inosilicate minerals. Aegirine is the sodium endmember of the aegirine-augite series. Aegirine has the chemical formula NaFeSi2O6 in which the iron is present as Fe3+. In the aegirine-augite series the sodium is variably replaced by calcium with iron(II) and magnesium replacing the iron(III) to balance the charge. Aluminium also substitutes for the iron(III). Acmite is a fibrous, green-colored variety.
Triplite is a rare phosphate mineral with formula: (Mn, Fe)2PO4(F, OH). It occurs in phosphate-rich granitic pegmatites typically as irregular brown opaque masses. Triplite was first described in 1813 for an occurrence in Chanteloube, Limousin, France. The name is from the Greek triplos for triple, in reference to the three cleavage directions. In color and appearance, it is very similar to rhodocrosite, another manganese bearing mineral. Chemically, it is also quite similar to triploidite the difference being that triplite is fluorine dominant while triploidite is hydroxide dominant.
Aenigmatite, also known as Cossyrite after Cossyra, the ancient name of Pantelleria, is a sodium, iron, titanium inosilicate mineral. The chemical formula is Na2Fe2+5TiSi6O20 and its structure consists of single tetrahedral chains with a repeat unit of four and complex side branches. It forms brown to black triclinic lamellar crystals. It has Mohs hardness of 5.5 to 6 and specific gravity of 3.74 to 3.85. Aenigmatite forms a solid-solution series with wilkinsonite, Na2Fe2+4Fe3+2Si6O20.
Triploidite is an uncommon manganese iron phosphate mineral with formula: (Mn, Fe)2PO4OH. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system and typically occurs as elongated and striated slender prisms which may be columnar to fibrous. Its crystals may be pinkish to yellowish brown or red-orange.
Galaxite, also known as 'mangan-spinel' is an isometric mineral belonging to the spinel group of oxides with the ideal chemical formula Mn2+Al2O4.
Microlite was once known as a pale-yellow, reddish-brown, or black isometric mineral composed of sodium calcium tantalum oxide with a small amount of fluorine. Its chemical formula is(Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F). Today it is a name of a group of oxide minerals of a similar stoichiometry having tantalum prevailing over titanium and niobium. The microlite group belongs to a large pyrochlore supergroup that occurs in pegmatites and constitutes an ore of tantalum. It has a Mohs hardness of 5.5 and a variable specific gravity of 4.2 to 6.4. It occurs as disseminated microscopic subtranslucent to opaque octahedral crystals with a refractive index of 2.0 to 2.2. Microlite is also called djalmaite, but both names are now obsolete.
Eucryptite is a lithium bearing aluminium silicate mineral with formula LiAlSiO4. It crystallizes in the trigonal - rhombohedral crystal system. It typically occurs as granular to massive in form and may pseudomorphically replace spodumene. It has a brittle to conchoidal fracture and indistinct cleavage. It is transparent to translucent and varies from colorless to white to brown. It has a Mohs hardness of 6.5 and a specific gravity of 2.67. Optically it is uniaxial positive with refractive index values of nω = 1.570 - 1.573 and nε = 1.583 - 1.587.
Neptunite is a silicate mineral with the formula KNa2Li(Fe2+, Mn2+)2Ti2Si8O24. With increasing manganese it forms a series with mangan-neptunite. Watatsumiite is the variety with vanadium replacing the titanium in the formula.
Anandite is a rare phyllosilicate with formula (Ba,K)(Fe2+,Mg)3(Si,Al,Fe)4O10(S,OH)2. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system. It is black in color with a glassy luster and a near perfect cleavage.
Vanadiocarpholite (Mn+2V+3AlSi2O6(OH)4) is straw yellow to brown silicate mineral. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system. It is the vanadium rich variety of carpholite (Mn+2Al2Si2O6(OH)4).
Brockite is a rare earth phosphate mineral with formula: (Ca,Th,Ce)PO4·H2O. It crystallizes in the hexagonal system in the chiral space group 180 or its enantiomorph 181. It is typically granular to massive with only rare occurrence of stubby crystals. It is radioactive due to the thorium content.
Pyrophanite is a manganese titanium oxide mineral with formula: MnTiO3. It is a member of the ilmenite group. It is a deep red to greenish black mineral which crystallizes in the trigonal system.
Felsőbányaite or basaluminite is a hydrated aluminium sulfate mineral with formula: Al4(SO4)(OH)10·4H2O. It is a rare white to pale yellow mineral which typically occurs as globular masses and incrustations or as minute rhombic crystals. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system.
Kosmochlor is a rare chromium sodium clinopyroxene with the chemical formula NaCr3+Si2O6.