May 9 2013
Reyerite is named after Edouard Reyer, an Austrian geologist. It is also commonly called Glimer Zeolith. It has a crystalline structure similar to minehillite.
Properties of Reyerite
The key physical properties of Reyerite are as below:
- Cell Data
- Space group: P3
- a = 9.767
- c=19.067
- Z = 1
- Crystal Data
- Hexagonal
- Point group: 3
- Crystals – in radiating aggregates of thin hexagonal plates; massive and intergrown with chlorite.
- X-ray powder pattern: Niaqorant, Greenland; can resemble gyrolite or truscottite.
3.17 (vs), 2.855 (s), 2.659 (s), 1.846 (s), 4.23 (ms), 3.52 (m), 3.035 (m)
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
Content 3 |
| SiO2 |
53.2 |
54.7 |
53.4 |
| Al2O3 |
3.8 |
4.4 |
4.7 |
| CaO |
32.3 |
31.6 |
31.8 |
| Na2O |
2.3 |
3.5 |
1.5 |
| K2O |
1.6 |
2.2 |
5.2 |
| H2O |
6.0 |
[3.6] |
[3.4] |
- Optical Properties
- Transparent to translucent
- Optical class- Uniaxial
- ω = 1.563–1.568
- ε = 1.558–1.563
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density)= 2.57 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of Reyerite = 2.56 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEReyerite = 3.94 barns/electron
U=PEReyerite x ρelectron density= 10.12 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.01
Boson index = 0.99 |
Radioactivity
|
GRapi = 22.53 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Reyerite per GRapi unit=4.44%
Estimated radioactivity from Reyerite is barely detectable |
How to Identify Reyerite
Reyerite appears as colorless to white colored or pale green with chlorite inclusions. It exhibits a vitreous, pearly lustre. The density of this mineral varies from 2.51 to 2.58 and its hardness varies from 3-4.
Global Distribution
Reyerite is widely distributed in the following locations:
- Greenland – from Kitaa Province, West Greenland
- Scotland –from North West Highlands, Isle of Skye and Strathclyde, Isle of Mull
- USA- from Durham Quarry, North Carolina and Rawlings Quarry, Virginia.
Occurrence of Reyerite and Useful Mineral Association
Reyerite occurs in tuff, basalt and within the contact aureole of a volcanic plug and in low grade regionally metamorphosed diabase dike.
It is usually associated with minerals such as calcite, analcime, natrolite, pectolite, chlorite and gyrolite.
References