• Source: Xonotlite

Xonotlite, or eakleite, is a mineral of general formula Ca6Si6O17(OH)2 named by the German mineralogist Karl Friedrich August Rammelsberg in 1866. The name originates from its discovery locality, Tetela de Xonotla, Puebla, Mexico. Although it was discovered in 1866, it was first described in 1959. It is approved by the IMA, but it is a grandfathered species, meaning the name supposedly represents a valid species til this day.




Properties


Xonotlite is an ino-silicate with double dreier chains, of which several polytypes are known. The known polytypes are Ma2bc, Ma2b2c and M2a2bc. It is a mineral related to the tobermorite group. It can be colorless, gray, light gray, lemon white, or pink. It is transparent with a vitreous to silky luster. It leaves a white streak. Xonotlite is rated 6.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. It crystallizes in the monoclinic – prismatic crystal system, with typically an acicular crystal form or habit, meaning it occurs as needle-like crystals. It is massive, meaning individual crystals are hard to tell apart as they form large masses. It mainly consists of oxygen (42.52%), calcium (33.63%) and silicon (23.57%), and includes hydrogen (0.28%). It is a luminescent mineral, under short ultraviolet light it has a weak gray-white fluorescence, and under long UV it is weak white. It is not a magnetic mineral, and is not radioactive.




Environment and mining



It occurs as veins in serpentinite and contact metamorphism aureoles. Associated minerals include apophyllite, diopside, stilbite, tobermorite, clinohedrite, thaumasite, laumontite and wollastonite. The most common impurities include iron, magnesium and carbon dioxyde (CO2) impurities. It has many type localities, the most notable one being Tetela de Ocampo, Mexico.




See also


Gyrolite – Rare phyllosilicate mineral crystallizing in small spheres
Tacharanite – Calcium aluminium silicate hydrate mineral
Tobermorite – Inosilicate alteration mineral in metamorphosed limestone and in skarn




References






Further reading


Taylor, H. F. W. (June 1959). "The transformation of tobermorite into xonotlite". Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society. 32 (245): 110–116. Bibcode:1959MinM...32..110T. doi:10.1180/minmag.1959.32.245.03. eISSN 2515-821X. ISSN 0369-0148.




External links



Webmineral data
Mineral Data Publishing
Mindat with location data

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Xonotlite
• List of minerals
• List of gemstones by species
• List of mineral symbols
• Apachite
• Tobermorite
• Calcium silicate hydrate
• List of minerals recognized by the International Mineralogical Association (W–X)
• Fouling
• Gyrolite