- Petalite
Infobox mineral
name = Petalite
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formula =lithium aluminium tectosilicatemineral LiAlSi4O10
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color = colorless, grey, yellow, yellow grey, to white
habit = tabular prismatic crystals and columnar masses
system =monoclinic 2/m.
twinning =
cleavage = Perfect in one plane
fracture = Subconchoidal
mohs = 6 - 6.5
luster = Vitreous, pearly on cleavages
refractive = nα=1.504, nβ=1.510, nγ=1.516
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pleochroism =
streak = Colorless
gravity = 2.4
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fusibility = 5
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solubility = Insoluble
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other = FluorescentPetalite, also known as castorite is a
lithium aluminium tectosilicatemineral LiAlSi4O10, crystallizing in themonoclinic system. Petalite is a member of thefeldspathoid group. It occurs as colorless, grey, yellow, yellow grey, to white tabular crystals and columnar masses. Occurs in lithium-bearingpegmatite s withspodumene ,lepidolite , andtourmaline . Petalite is an important ore of lithium. The colorless varieties are often used asgemstone s.Discovered in 1800, type locality: Utö Island,
Haninge ,Stockholm, Sweden . The name is derived from Greek petalon for "leaf".See also:
List of minerals References
*Hurlbut, Cornelius S.; Klein, Cornelis, 1985, "Manual of Mineralogy", 20th ed., ISBN 0-471-80580-7
* [http://webmineral.com/data/Petalite.shtml Webmineral]
* [http://www.mindat.org/min-3171.html Mindat]
* [http://www.geology.neab.net/minerals/petalite.htm Neab.net]
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