Re-examination of the mineral tuhualite
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2018
Summary
X-ray study of tuhualite from Mayor Island, New Zealand, has shown it to be orthorhombic, space-group either . Unit-cell dimensions are a = 14·31 Å, b = 17·28 Å., c = 10·11 Å., and a : b : c = 0·828 : 1 : 0·585. Goniometric measurements give a : b : c = 0·8243 : 1 : 0·5658. a{100} dominant with forms s{011}, p{021}, c{001}, b{010}, n{101}, m{110}, q{111}. Crystals with b{010} dominant are rare. Three good cleavages, a (100), b (010), c (001). α = 1·608, β = 1·612, γ = 1·621; γ-α = 0·013. , positive; β = b, γ = c, α = colourless to pale lavender, β = violet, lavender, γ = intense purplish-blue; γ > β > α. Sp. gr. 2·89 (measured), 2·86 (calculated).
An analysis of carefully purified material leads to the possible formula:
H9(Na,K,Mn)12Fe″6(Al,Fe‴,Mg,Ti)9[Si8O8]15.
Details of alteration phenomena and associated minerals are given. Occurrence is held to result by crystallization from magma quite impoverished in lime due to early fractionation of aegirine-hedenbergite, and perhaps aegirine-augite, in the intratelluric stage.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Mineralogical magazine and journal of the Mineralogical Society , Volume 31 , Issue 232 , March 1956 , pp. 96 - 106
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1956
References
- 5
- Cited by