| Osumilite | |
|---|---|
Osumilite tablets with mullite from Ochtendung, Eifel, Germany. |
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| General | |
| Category | Cyclosilicate |
| Chemical formula | (K,Na)(Fe,Mg)2(Al,Fe)3(Si,Al)12O30·H2O |
| Strunz classification | 09.CM.05 |
| Dana classification | 63.02.01a.06 |
| Crystal symmetry | Hexagonal 6/m 2/m 2/m |
| Unit cell | a = 10.15 Å, c = 14.25 Å; Z = 2 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Black, dark blue, dark brown, pink, gray |
| Crystal habit | Crystals tabular to prismatic also anhedral and massive |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal; 6/m 2/m 2/m. |
| Twinning | Rarely |
| Cleavage | None |
| Fracture | Subconchoidal |
| Mohs scale hardness | 5 - 6 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Streak | Blue-gray |
| Specific gravity | 2.62 - 2.64 |
| Optical properties | Uniaxial (+) anomalously biaxial |
| Refractive index | w=1.545-1.547, e=1.549-1.551 |
| Birefringence | 0.004 |
| Pleochroism | Strong |
| References | [1][2][3] |
Osumilite a very rare hydrate potassium-sodium-iron-magnesium-aluminium silicate mineral. Osumilite is part of the milarite group (also known as the milarite-osumilite group) of cyclosilicates.
Contents |
Osumilite chemical formula is (K,Na)(Fe,Mg)2(Al,Fe)3(Si,Al)12O30·H2O. It is translucent and the typical coloring is either blue, black, brown, or gray. It displays no cleavage and has a vitreous luster. Osumilite has a hardness between 5-6 on the Mohs hardness scale.[3]
The hexagonal crystal structure of osumilite is an unusual molecular make-up. The primary unit is a double ring, with a formula of Si12O30. Normal cyclosilicate have rings composed of six silicate tetrahedrons; Si6O18. In a double ring structure, two normal rings are linked by sharing six oxygens, one from each tetrahedron in each six membered ring.[4]
Osumilite, was first discovered as grains in volcanic rocks near Osumi, Japan. It was confused with a similar mineral cordierite because of their similar coloring. It can be found in high-grade metamorphic rocks, xenoliths and in the groundmass of rhyolite and dacite.[2]
Osumilite is found in the Obsidian Cliffs, Oregon; Sardinia, Italy; Kagoshima and Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan; and the Eifel district in Germany.[2]