Partheite

Infobox mineral
name = Partheite
category = Silicate mineral
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formula =Ca₂Al₄Si₄O₁₅(OH)₂·4(H₂O)
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color = White, colourless
habit = Fibrous, radial
system = monoclinic prismatic
twinning =
cleavage = {100} and {110}
fracture =
mohs = 4
luster = vitreous
refractive = nα = 1.547 - 1.550 nβ = 1.549 - 1.552 nγ = 1.559 - 1.565
opticalprop = Biaxial (+)
birefringence = δ = 0.012 - 0.015
pleochroism =
streak = white
gravity = 2.39 - 2.45
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references = [http://webmineral.com/data/Partheite.shtml Webmineral] [http://www.mindat.org/min-3127.html Mindat]

Partheite or parthéite is a calcium aluminium silicate found in rodingites, metasomatically altered rocks associated with the formation of serpentinite. Partheite and lawsonite are polymorphs. It has been described from rodingite dikes within an ophiolite sequence in Turkey and in veins within a gabbroic intrusion, the Denezhkin Kamen complex, Russia. Associated minerals include prehnite, thomsonite, augite, chlorite and tremolite. [http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/Partheite.PDF Handbook of Mineralogy]

It was first described in 1979 and named for the Swiss crystallographer Erwin Pathé (1928-2006).

References