Cuspidine Mineral Data

[On-Line Catalogue] [On-Line Auctions] [eBay] [Contact Us] [Policies]
We specialize in fine European and Asian Mineral Specimens
Heliodor is based in Prague, Czech Republic

General Cuspidine Information

Chemical Formula:

Ca4Si2O7(F,OH)2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 365.48 gm

Calcium 43.86 % Ca 61.37 % CaO

Silicon 15.37 % Si 32.88 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 0.14 % H 1.23 % H₂O

Oxygen 32.83 % O

Fluorine 7.80 % F 7.80 % F

- % F -3.28 % -O=F₂

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca₄Si₂O₇F_1.5(OH)_0.5

Environment:

Ejected masses from Mte. Somma, Vesuvius.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1876

Locality:

At Monte Somma and Vesuvius, Campania, and in the Alban Hills, as at Ariccia, Lazio, Italy. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Greek cuspis, for a spear, the characteristic shape of the twinned crystals.

Synonym:

Custerite

ICSD 34339

PDF 41-1474

Cuspidine Image

Images:

Cuspidine

Comments: Tan spear-shaped micro crystals of cuspidine in diopside.
Location: San Vito Quarry, Vesuvius, Napoli, Campania, Italy. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Cuspidine Jasmundite

Comments: Tan-brownish crystals of jasmundite and dark green cuspidine with gehlenite and spinel in matrix.
Location: Bellerberg, Eifel, Germany. Scale: Not Given.
© Diederik Visser

Cuspidine Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =1.034:1:0.7161

Cell Dimensions:

a = 10.93, b = 10.57, c = 7.57, Z = 4; beta = 110.1° V = 821.30 Den(Calc)= 2.96

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: P 2₁/c

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.062(1), 2.943(0.35), 3.259(0.3),

Crystal Structure:

Mouse
drag1 - LMB Manipulate Structure
drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
Keyboard
S - Stereo Pair on/off
H - Help Screen
I - Data Info
A - Atoms On/Off
P - Polyhedra On/Off
B - Bonds On/Off
Help on Above

Piotrowski A , Kahlenberg V , Fischer R X , American Mineralogist , 85 (2000) p.1534-1539, Na2Ca2(P2O7)F2, the first diphosphate of the cuspidine family, Sample: single position O1

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Cuspidine
[1] [2] [3]

Physical Properties of Cuspidine

Cleavage:

{001} Good, {110} Imperfect

Color:

Colorless, Green, White, Light pink.

Density:

2.8 - 2.9, Average = 2.84

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Fracture:

Brittle - Generally displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Habit:

Acicular - Occurs as needle-like crystals.

Habit:

Massive - Granular - Common texture observed in granite and other igneous rock.

Hardness:

5-6 - Between Apatite and Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Cuspidine

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.019 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.019 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2012,KPDmeas= 0.2089,KC= 0.2051
Ncalc = 1.57 - 1.61

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.586-1.592, b=1.595-1.596, g=1.598-1.606, bire=0.0120-0.0140, 2V(Calc)=58-66, 2V(Meas)=63. Dispersion r > v distinct.

Calculated Properties of Cuspidine

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.95 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Cuspidine =2.96 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0079273277
Boson Index = 0.9920726723

Photoelectric:

PE_Cuspidine= 6.02 barns/electron
U=PE_Cuspidine x rElectron Density= 17.74 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Cuspidine is Not Radioactive

Cuspidine Classification

Dana Class:

56.02.04.03 (56)Sorosilicate Si2O7 Groups and O, OH, F. and H2O

(56.02)with cations in [4] and/or >[4] coordination

(56.02.04)Cuspidine - Wohlerite group

56.02.04.01 Baghdadite Ca3(Zr,Ti)Si2O9 P 2₁/a 2/m

56.02.04.02 Burpalite Na2CaZrSi2O7F2 P 2₁/a 2/m

56.02.04.03 Cuspidine Ca4Si2O7(F,OH)2 P 2₁/c 2/m

56.02.04.04 Lavenite (Na,Ca)2(Mn,Fe)(Zr,Ti,Nb)Si2O7(O,OH,F) P 2₁/a 2/m

56.02.04.05 Wohlerite NaCa2(Zr,Nb)Si2O7(O,OH,F)2 P 2₁/m 2/m

56.02.04.06 Niocalite Ca14Nb2(Si2O7)4O6F2 Pa m

56.02.04.07 Hiortdahlite (Ca,Na,Y)3(Zr,Ti)Si2O7(F,O,OH)2 P1 1

56.02.04.08 Rosenbuschite (Ca,Na)3(Zr,Ti)Si2O8F P1 1

56.02.04.09 Hainite Na4Ca8(Ti,Zr,Mn,Fe)3Si8O28F8 P1 1

56.02.04.10 Janhaugite (Na,Ca)3(Mn,Fe)3(Ti,Zr,Nb)2Si4O15(OH,F,O)3 P 2₁/n 2/m

56.02.04.11 Jennite Ca9Si6O18(OH)6•8H2O P1 1

56.02.04.12 Komarovite (Ca,Mn)2(Nb,Ti)2Si2O7(O,F)2•3.5(H2O) Unk Ortho

56.02.04.13 Natrokomarovite* Na6CaNb6[Si4O12F2•4(H2O) C mmm 2/m 2/m 2/m

56.02.04.14 Suolunite Ca2Si2O5(OH)2•(H2O) F dd2 mm2

56.02.04.15 Mongolite Ca4Nb6Si5O24(OH)10•5(H2O) Unk Tetra

56.02.04.16 Kristiansenite! Ca2ScSn(Si2O7)(Si2O6OH) C1 1

56.02.04.17 Kochite! Na2(Na,Ca)4Ca4(Mn,Ca)2Zr2Ti2(Si2O7)4(O,F)4F4 P1 1

56.02.04.18 Marianoite! Na2Ca4(Nb,Zr)2(Si2O7)2(O,F)4 P 2₁ 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.BE.17 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.B - Sorosilicates

09.BE -Si2O7 groups with additional anions;

09.BE.17 Baghdadite Ca3(Zr,Ti)Si2O9 P 2₁/a 2/m

09.BE.17 Janhaugite (Na,Ca)3(Mn,Fe)3(Ti,Zr,Nb)2Si4O15(OH,F,O)3 P 2₁/n 2/m

09.BE.17 Burpalite Na2CaZrSi2O7F2 P 2₁/a 2/m

09.BE.17 Cuspidine Ca4Si2O7(F,OH)2 P 2₁/c 2/m

09.BE.17 Hiortdahlite (Ca,Na,Y)3(Zr,Ti)Si2O7(F,O,OH)2 P1 1

09.BE.17 Lavenite (Na,Ca)2(Mn,Fe)(Zr,Ti,Nb)Si2O7(O,OH,F) P 2₁/a 2/m

09.BE.17 Niocalite Ca14Nb2(Si2O7)4O6F2 Pa m

09.BE.17 Normandite! NaCa(Mn,Fe)(Ti,Nb,Zr)Si2O7(O,F)2 P 2₁/a 2/m

09.BE.17 Wohlerite NaCa2(Zr,Nb)Si2O7(O,OH,F)2 P 2₁/m 2/m

09.BE.17 Marianoite! Na2Ca4(Nb,Zr)2(Si2O7)2(O,F)4 P 2₁ 2/m

Other Cuspidine Information

References:

NAME( Ford32) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Heinrich65)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Cuspidine :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
5 - Franklin Minerals(Dunn)
6 - Franklin Minerals(Palache)
7 - Google Images
8 - Google Scholar
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
11 - MinDAT
12 - MinMax(Deutsch)
13 - MinMax(English)
14 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info
17 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Cuspidine using:

[ALTAVISTA] [AOL] [All-The-Web] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [MAMMA] [MSN.COM] [Netscape] [Scirus] [Teoma] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Cuspidine :

AA Mineral Specimens

B & L Fine Minerals

Crystalarium.com

Dan Weinrich Fine Minerals

Dan Weinrich Auctions

Dakota Matrix

Diamond Dan Publications

John Betts Fine Minerals

Mason's Minerals

Mineral News

Mineral of the Month Club

Wrights Rock Shop

Translate Cuspidine Mineral Data :

Ask about Cuspidine here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Cuspidine Specimen Label here :

Cuspidine

Ca4Si2O7(F,OH)2
Dana No: 56.02.04.03 Strunz No: 09.BE.17
Locality:

Notes: