Herschelite Mineral Data

Advertisment

Updated weekly, for the collector, educator, and researcher since 1996. Extensive Inventory of very Rare Minerals. Visa and Mastercard are Welcome

General Herschelite Information

Chemical Formula:

(Na,Ca,K)AlSi2O6•3(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 261.30 gm

Potassium 2.99 % K 3.60 % K₂O

Sodium 7.04 % Na 9.49 % Na₂O

Calcium 0.77 % Ca 1.07 % CaO

Aluminum 11.36 % Al 21.46 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 20.42 % Si 43.69 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 2.31 % H 20.68 % H₂O

Oxygen 55.11 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Na_0.8K_0.2Ca_0.05Al_1.1Si_1.9O₆•3(H₂O)

Environment:

In cavities in basalts. Species name changed to chabazite-Na by the IMA Commission on zeolites.

IMA Status:

Discredited IMA 1997 - Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1825

Locality:

From Aci Castello and nearby on the flanks of Mt. Etna, Sicily. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named in 1825 for John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871), British astronomer.

Name Pronunciation:

Herschelite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

Discredited IMA 1997

Herschelite Image

Images:

Herschelite Chabazite-Na

Comments: Rounded transparent crystals of chabazite-Na (herschelite).
Location: Horseshoe Dam, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

Herschelite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:1.09442

Cell Dimensions:

a = 13.799, c = 15.102, Z = 12; V = 2,490.35 Den(Calc)= 2.09

Crystal System:

Trigonal - Hexagonal ScalenohedralH-M Symbol (3 2/m) Space Group: R 3m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.93(1), 4.32(0.65), 6.36(0.5),5.03(0.4), 2.987(0.3), 3.88(0.25), 6.89(0.2),

Physical Properties of Herschelite

Cleavage:

{1011} Distinct

Color:

Colorless, White.

Density:

2.08 - 2.16, Average = 2.12

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to Translucent

Fracture:

Brittle - Uneven - Very brittle fracture producing uneven fragments.

Habit:

Platy - Sheet forms (e.g. micas).

Hardness:

4-5 - Fluorite-Apatite

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Herschelite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.036 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.022 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2279,KPDmeas= 0.2246,KC= 0.233
Ncalc = 1.48 - 1.5

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.471-1.479, w=1.474-1.481, bire=0.0020-0.0030.

Calculated Properties of Herschelite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.12 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Herschelite =2.09 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0098189704
Boson Index = 0.9901810296

Photoelectric:

PE_Herschelite= 1.66 barns/electron
U=PE_Herschelite x r_electron= 3.52 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 43.80 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Herschelite per GRapi unit = 2.28 (%)

Estimated Radioactivity from Herschelite - barely detectable

Herschelite Classification

Dana Class:

77.01.02.02 (77)Tectosilicate Zeolite group

(77.01)true zeolites

(77.01.02)Chabazite and related species

77.01.02.01 Chabazite-Ca (Ca0.5,Na,K)4[Al4Si8O24]•12H2O P1 1

77.01.02.01a Chabazite-Na! (Na2,K2,Ca,Mg)[Al2Si4O12]•6(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

77.01.02.01b Chabazite-K! (K2,Ca,Na2,Mg)[Al2Si4O12]•6(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

77.01.02.01c Chabazite-Sr! (Sr,Ca,K2,Na2)[Al2Si4O12]•6(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

77.01.02.02 Herschelite? (Na,Ca,K)AlSi2O6•3(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

77.01.02.03 Willhendersonite KCaAl3Si3O12•5(H2O) P1 1

77.01.02.04 Offretite (K2,Ca,Mg)2.5Al5Si13O36•15(H2O) P 6m2 6 m2

77.01.02.05 Erionite-Na (Na2,K2,Ca)2[Al4Si14O36]•15(H2O) P 6₃/mmc 6/m 2/m 2/m

77.01.02.05a Erionite-K! (K2,Ca,Na2)2[Al4Si14O36]•15(H2O) P 6₃/mmc 6/m 2/m 2/m

77.01.02.05b Erionite-Ca! (Ca,K2,Na2)2[Al4Si14O36]•15(H2O) P 6₃/mmc 6/m 2/m 2/m

77.01.02.06 Gmelinite-Na (Na2,Ca)Al2Si4O12•6(H2O) P 6₃/mmc 6/m 2/m 2/m

77.01.02.06a Gmelinite-Ca! (Ca,Na2)Al2Si4O12•6(H2O) P 6₃/mmc 6/m 2/m 2/m

77.01.02.06b Gmelinite-K! (K,Na,Ca)6(Al7Si17O48)•22(H2O) P 6₃/mmc 6/m 2/m 2/m

77.01.02.07 Faujasite-Na (Na2,Ca,Mg)3.5[Al7Si17O48]•32(H2O) F d3m 4/m 3 2/m

77.01.02.07a Faujasite-Ca! (Ca,Na2,Mg)3.5[Al7Si17O48]•32(H2O) F d3m 4/m 3 2/m

77.01.02.07b Faujasite-Mg! (Mg,Na2,Ca)3.5[Al7Si17O48]•32(H2O) F d3m 4/m 3 2/m

77.01.02.08 Levyne-Ca (Ca,Na2,K2)Al2Si4O12•6(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

77.01.02.08a Levyne-Na! (Na2,Ca,K2)Al2Si4O12•6(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

77.01.02.09 Tschortnerite! Ca4(Ca,Sr,K,Ba)3Cu3(OH)8[Si12Al12O48]•x(H2O),x>=20 F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.GD.10 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.G - Tektosilicates with Zeolitic H2O

09.GD -Chains of 6-membered rings – tabular zeolites

09.GD.10 Chabazite-K! (K2,Ca,Na2,Mg)[Al2Si4O12]•6(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

09.GD.10 Chabazite-Ca (Ca0.5,Na,K)4[Al4Si8O24]•12H2O P1 1

09.GD.10 Chabazite-Na! (Na2,K2,Ca,Mg)[Al2Si4O12]•6(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

09.GD.10 Herschelite? (Na,Ca,K)AlSi2O6•3(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

09.GD.10 Chabazite-Sr! (Sr,Ca,K2,Na2)[Al2Si4O12]•6(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

09.GD.10 Willhendersonite KCaAl3Si3O12•5(H2O) P1 1

Other Herschelite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic2) PHYS. PROP.(AntBidBlaNic2) OPTIC PROP.(AntBidBlaNic2)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Herschelite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
5 - GeoScienceWorld
6 - Google Images
7 - Google Scholar
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
9 - MinDAT
10 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
11 - Online Mineral Museum
12 - QUT Mineral Atlas
13 - Ruff.Info

Search for Herschelite using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Herschelite :

A Bijoux Google Search for Herschelite
Adam's Minerals Google Search for Herschelite
Cape Minerals Google Search for Herschelite
Dakota Matrix Minerals Google Search for Herschelite
Excalibur Mineral Corp. Google Search for Herschelite
Exceptional Minerals Google Search for Herschelite
John Betts Fine Minerals Search for Herschelite
McDougall Minerals Google Search for Herschelite
Mineral News Website Link
Rock and Mineral Shows Google Search for Herschelite
Weinrich Minerals, Inc. Google Search for Herschelite

Ask about Herschelite 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 Herschelite Specimen Label here :

Herschelite

(Na,Ca,K)AlSi2O6•3(H2O)
Dana No: 77.01.02.02 Strunz No: 09.GD.10
Locality:

Notes: