Jun 5 2014
Chiolite is a tetragonal-ditetragonal dipyramidal mineral, composed of sodium, fluorine, and aluminum. The mineral was first discovered from Minask in the Ilmen Mountains, Russia, in 1846.
It was named from the Greek word for snow and stone, due to its similarity in appearance to cryolite.
Properties of Chiolite
The following are the key properties of Chiolite:
- Cell Data
- Space Group: P4/mnc
- a = 7.00–7.01
- c = 10.39–10.41
- Z = 2
- Crystal Data
- Tetragonal
- Point Group: 4/m 2/m 2/m
- Crystals, to 10cm, dipyramidal {111}, with {001} and {114}; commonly granular, massive
- Twinning: On {011}
- X-ray Powder Pattern: 2.91 (100), 5.18 (80), 2.32 (70), 1.99 (70), 1.79 (70), 1.75 (70), 1.55 (70)
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
Content 3 |
| Na |
24.97 |
24.79 |
24.89 |
| Al |
17.66 |
17.54 |
17.53 |
| F |
57.30 |
57.81 |
57.58 |
| H2O- |
- |
0.23 |
- |
| Total |
99.93 |
100.37 |
100.00 |
- Optical Properties
- Optical Class: Uniaxial (–)
- ω = 1.3486
- ε = 1.3424
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density) = 2.87 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of Chiolite = 3.01 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEChiolite = 1.19 barns/electron
U = PEChiolite x ρElectron density = 3.43 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0
Boson index = 1 |
Radioactivity
|
Chiolite is not radioactive
|
How to Identify Chiolite
Chiolite is a transparent, colorless or snow-white mineral, having vitreous luster, perfect cleavage, and white streak.
The average density of chiolite is 2.87 g/cm3, and its hardness ranges from 3.5 to 4.
Global Distribution
Chiolite is distributed in the following places:
- Miass, Ilmen Mountains, Southern Ural Mountains, Russia
- Ivigtut cryolite deposit, southwestern Greenland
- Morefield pegmatite mine, Amelia, Amelia Co. Virginia
Occurrence of Chiolite and Useful Mineral Association
Chiolite occurs in some granite pegmatites, and is associated with ralstonite, thomsenolite, pachnolite, elpasolite, cryolite, thomsenolite, cryolithionite, fluorite, phenakite, and topaz.
References