Wavellite
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| Wavellite | |
|---|---|
 Wavellite from Poland
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| General | |
| Category | Phosphate mineral |
| Chemical formula | Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3·5H2O |
| Identification | |
| Color | Green to yellowish-green and yellow, brown, white and colorless |
| Crystal habit | spherical, radial aggregates; striated prisms; crusty to stalactitic |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal |
| Cleavage | [110] Perfect, [101] Good |
| Fracture | Fibrous |
| Mohs Scale hardness | 3.5 - 4 |
| Luster | Vitreous to resinous, pearly. |
| Refractive index | nα = 1.518 - 1.535 nβ = 1.524 - 1.543 nγ = 1.544 - 1.561 |
| Optical Properties | Biaxial (+) |
| Birefringence | δ = 0.026 |
| Pleochroism | Weak |
| Streak | White |
| Specific gravity | 2.3 - 2.4 |
| Diaphaneity | Translucent |
| References | [1][2][3] |
Wavellite is a phosphate mineral, normally translucent green. It is found in fractures in aluminous metamorphic rock, in hydrothermal regions and in phosphate rock deposits.
Named after William Wavell (?-1829) of England who discovered the mineral in a quarry in Devon, England in 1805. It is found in a wide variety of locations notably in the Mount Ida, Arkansas area in the Ouachita Mountains.
Hydrated aluminium phosphate has the chemical formula:
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/wavellite.pdf Mineral Handbook
- ^ http://webmineral.com/data/Wavellite.shtml Webmineral
- ^ http://www.mindat.org/min-4250.html Mindat
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