Babingtonite was named after the Irish mineralogist and physician, Dr. William Babington. It is a member of the Babingtonite group of minerals. The other members are scandiobabingtonite and manganbabingtonite.
Properties of Babingtonite
The following are the key properties of Babingtonite:
- Cell Data
- Space group: P1
- a = 7.50(1)
- b = 12.18(1)
- c = 6.68(1)
- α = 86°3(5)'
- β = 93°59(5)'
- γ = 112°19(5)'
- Z = 2
- Crystal Data
- Triclinic
- Point group: 1
- Stubby, prismatic, striated crystals, to 3 cm
- Platy and sub-parallel aggregates
- X-ray powder pattern: 2.75 (100), 2.87 (80), 3.12 (70), 2.17 (60), 2.95 (60b), 2.47 (50), 6.69 (40)
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
Content 3 |
| SiO2 |
52.8 |
52.44 |
52.41 |
| CaO |
19.19 |
19.67 |
19.56 |
| Fe2O3 |
13.17 |
14.43 |
13.93 |
| FeO |
7.68 |
10.12 |
12.53 |
| Al2O3 |
2.41 |
0.23 |
- |
| MnO |
1.89 |
1.03 |
- |
| MgO |
0.92 |
0.65 |
- |
| H2O |
0.91 |
1.27 |
1.57 |
| Na2O |
0.48 |
0.08 |
- |
| TiO2 |
0.29 |
0 |
- |
| Total |
99.74 |
99.92 |
100 |
- Optical Properties
- Optical class: Biaxial (-)
- Pleochroism: X = deep green; Y = lilac-brown; Z = pale to deep brown.
- Dispersion: r > v; strong.
- α = 1.700(3)
- β = 1.710(3)
- γ = 1.725(3)
- 2V (meas.) = 50(2)°
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density)=3.48 gm/cm3
note: Specific gravity of Babingtonite =3.53 gm/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEBabingtonite = 8.31 barns/electron
U=PEBabingtonite x ρelectron density= 28.96 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.01
Boson index = 0.99 |
Radioactivity
|
GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Babingtonite is not radioactive |
How to Identify Babingtonite
Babingtonite can be identified in the field by its greenish black, brownish black, and black variations. The appearance of this mineral is transparent to translucent. It is a non-fluorescent mineral with a glassy lustre, a brown streak, and cleavages. The conchoidal fractures on the surface are smooth curves. Its radial crystals radiate from the center without producing stellar patterns. A number of crystal tipped surfaces are produced by druse crystal growth in a cavity. The density of Babingtonite is 3.4 gm/cm3 and its hardness ranges from 5.5 to 6.
Global Distribution
Babingtonite is widely distributed in many locations. The key locations are listed below:
- Russia - Norilsk, western Siberia
- Norway- Brastad mine, Oyestad, near Arendal
- Germany- Herbornseelbach, Hesse
- Italy - Baveno, Piedmont
- Austria - Seebach valley, Bodenhütte
- China - Tongshankou Mine ,Zhaotong Prefecture, Qiaojia Co.
- Iceland - Hvalfjordur
- India - Khandivali quarry, near Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Sweden -Gronsjoberg, Dalarma
- Japan- Mitani, Kochi Prefecture, Yaguki mine
- New Zealand - Three Kings Islands
- Australia -Black Perry Mountain, Western Australia-Weld Range
- USA – In Massachusetts- Lane's quarry, Westfield, Hampden Co.
In the Cheapside and Deerfield quarries, East Deerfield, Franklin Co.
At Paterson, Passaic Co., Mine Hill, Morris Co., New Jersey
At Goose Creek quarry, Leesburg, Loudoun Co., Virginia
At Winchester Highlands, Uxbridge, Norfolk Co.
At Lenoir, Caldwell Co., North Carolina.
Occurrence of Babingtonite and Useful Mineral Association
Babingtonite occurs in the veins cutting granite pegmatite and diorite, in the cavities and vugs in mafic volcanic rocks and gneisses, and in skarns. It is often associated with minerals such as calcite, epidote, orthoclase, prehnite, albite, zeolites, garnet, quartz, and hornblende.
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