Sep 3 2013
Augelite has been named after the Greek word for luster, for its pearly appearance on the cleavage.
Properties of Augelite
The following are the key properties of augelite:
- Cell Data
- Space group: C2/m
- a = 13.124(6)
- b = 7.988(5)
- c = 5.066(3)
- β = 112.25(2)°
- Z = 4.
- Crystal Data
- Monoclinic
- Point group: 2/m
- As thick tabular crystals, {001}, to 13 cm, may be prismatic, even acicular || [001], showing many forms, dominantly {110}, {001}, {201}. {111}, with {110} striated || [001]; may be massive
- X-ray powder pattern: 3.344 (100), 3.517 (55), 4.007 (30), 4.706 (25), 4.673 (25), 3.490 (25), 1.869 (18).
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
Content 3 |
| P2O5 |
35.04 |
34.68 |
35.50 |
| SiO2 |
- |
0.07 |
- |
| TiO2 |
- |
0.08 |
- |
| Al2O3 |
49.15 |
50.33 |
50.99 |
| Fe2O3 |
0.89 |
- |
- |
| MnO |
0.31 |
- |
- |
| CaO |
1.09 |
- |
- |
| H2O |
12.85 |
- |
13.51 |
| Total |
99.33 |
- |
100.00 |
- Optical Properties
- Transparent
- Color: colorless to white, maybe yellowish to pale rose, greenish, colorless in transmitted light
- Streak: white
- Luster: vitreous, pearly on perfect {110} cleavage
- Optical Class: Biaxial (+)
- Dispersion: r>v, moderate
- α = 1.5736; β = 1.5759; γ = 1.5877
- 2V(meas) = 50°49’; 2V(calc) = 47°56’
- Orientation: X = b; Y ∧ c = –56° ; Z ∧ c = 34°.
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density) = 2.70 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of augelite = 2.70 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEAugelite = 1.56 barns/electron
U = PEAugelite x ρ electron density = 4.20 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.0002711168
Boson index = 0.99972 |
| Radioactivity |
Augelite is not radioactive. |
How to Identify Augelite
Augelite appears as a colorless to white to yellowish to pale rose, greenish and appears colorless in transmitted light.
Global Distribution
Augelite is found in the following locations:-
- Sweden – from Vastana mone, near Nasum, Skane, Halsjoberg, Varmland.
- Uganda – from Mbale.
- Rwanda – from the Buranga pegmatite, near Gatumba.
- USA – from Champion mine, White Mountains, Mono Co, California; New Hampshire, at the Palmero number 1 mine, near North Groton, G.E.Smith mine Newport, Sullivan Co; in the Hugo and Ingersoll mines, near Keystone, Pennington Co; South Dakota, in the White Picacho district, Maricopa and Yavapai Co Arizona.
- Canada – from the Big Fish River, Yukon Territory.
- Bolivia – from Socavon mine, San Jose and Itos mines, Oruro; at Llallagua, Machacamarca, Tatasi and Portugalete, Potosi.
- Australia – from Mt.Perry, Bundaberg in Queensland.
Occurrence of Augelite and Useful Mineral Association
Augelite is formed by the hydrogen metamorphism of phosphate-bearing rocks in peraluminous sediments and in some high-temperature hydrothermal ore deposits.
It is often associated with minerals such as attakolite, svanbergite, lazulite, hematite, trolleite, berlinite, rutile, pyrophyllite, barite, arsenopyrite, stannite, pyrite, andorite, cassiterite and zinkenite.
References