Zinnwaldite
Zinnwaldite | |
---|---|
General | |
Category | Phyllosilicate mineral |
Formula (repeating unit) | KLiFeAl(AlSi3)O10(OH,F)2 |
IMA symbol | Znw[1] |
Crystal system | Monoclinic |
Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
Space group | Cc (no. 9) |
Unit cell | a = 5.29, b = 9.14 c = 10.09 [Å]; β = 100.83° |
Identification | |
Color | Gray-brown, yellow-brown, pale violet, dark green, color zoning common |
Crystal habit | Well-formed short prismatic or tabular crystals, pseudohexagonal, in rosettes or fan-shaped groups; lamellar or scaly aggregates; disseminated. |
Twinning | On composition plane {001}, twin axis [310] |
Cleavage | Perfect basal {001} |
Fracture | Uneven |
Tenacity | Laminae °exible, elastic |
Mohs scale hardness | 3.5 - 4.0 |
Luster | Pearly to vitreous |
Streak | White |
Diaphaneity | Transparent to translucent |
Specific gravity | 2.9 - 3.1 |
Optical properties | Biaxial (-) |
Refractive index | nα = 1.565 - 1.625 nβ = 1.605 - 1.675 nγ = 1.605 - 1.675 |
Birefringence | 0.040 - 0.050 |
Pleochroism | Distinct, X = colorless to yellow-brown; Y = gray-brown; Z = colorless to gray-brown |
2V angle | 0 - 40° |
References | [2][3][4][5] |
Zinnwaldite, KLiFeAl(AlSi3)O10(OH,F)2, potassium lithium iron aluminium silicate hydroxide fluoride is a silicate mineral in the mica group. The IMA status is as a series between siderophyllite (KFe2Al(Al2Si2)O10(F,OH)2) and polylithionite (KLi2AlSi4O10(F,OH)2) and not considered a valid mineral species.[4]
Name and discovery
[edit]It was first described in 1845 in Zinnwald/Cinvald (today Cínovec) on the German-Czech Republic border.[4]
Occurrence
[edit]It occurs in greisens, pegmatite, and quartz veins often associated with tin ore deposits. It is commonly associated with topaz, cassiterite, wolframite, lepidolite, spodumene, beryl, tourmaline, and fluorite.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- ^ a b Handbook of Mineralogy
- ^ Webmineral data
- ^ a b c Mindat
- ^ Rieder, M.; Hybler, J.; Smrcok, L.; Weiss, Z. (1996). "Refinement of the crystal structure of zinnwaldite 2M_1". European Journal of Mineralogy. 8 (6): 1241–1248. doi:10.1127/ejm/8/6/1241.