Chabazite
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Chabazite is named from the Greek chabazios, an ancient name for a stone and its chemical composition. The stone is one of twenty stones named in the poem Peri lithos, which extolled the virtues of minerals. The poem is ascribed to Orpheus, legendary founder of the Orphic cult.

Discovered in 1792;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂ · 6(H₂O)

Hydrated Calcium Aluminum Silicate

Molecular Weight:

1,039.07 gm

Composition:

Potassium

0.75 %

K

0.91 %

K₂O

Sodium

0.07 %

Na

0.09 %

Na₂O

Strontium

0.25 %

Sr

0.30 %

SrO

Calcium

7.17 %

Ca

10.04 %

CaO

Magnesium

0.05 %

Mg

0.08 %

MgO

Aluminum

10.23 %

Al

19.33 %

Al₂O₃

Silicon

21.70 %

Si

46.43 %

SiO₂

Hydrogen

2.55 %

H

22.82 %

H₂O

Oxygen

57.22 %

O

100.00 %

99.99 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates (Germanates)

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/J.26-30

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.GD.10

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
G : Tektosilicates with zeolitic H₂O; zeolite family
D : Chains of 6-membered rings – tabular zeolites

Related to:

Zeolite Group. Willhendersonite - Chabazite - Perialite Series. Chabazite-Levyne Subgroup.

Members of Group:

Zeolite Group: Analcime, Mordenite, Natrolite, Pollucite, Scolecite, Stilbite, Thomsonite, Yugawaralite.

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

Acadialite, Adipite, Chabazite-Ca, Chalazite

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Triclinic - Pinacoidal

Crystal Habit:

As pseudorhombohedral crystals, nearly cubic in aspect, to 4.5 cm; tabular, complex to rounded twinned forms; anhedral, granular, or massive.

Twinning:

About [0001], interpenetrant, simple and repeated, common, contact on [1011]

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

Distinct/Good on [1011]

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

4.0 - 5.0

Density:

2.05 - 2.20 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Barely Detectable; GRapi = 11.07 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Optical Properties

Color:

Colorless, White, Yellow, Pink, Red

Transparency:

Translucent to Transparent

Luster:

Vitreous

Refractive Index:

1.478 - 1.493  Biaxial ( +/- ) (or Uniaxial; commonly shows birefringent panelling in six sections)

Birefringence:

0.0020 - 0.0050

Dispersion:

None

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

In vugs in volcanic rocks as basalts, andesite; rarer in limestones and schists; hydrothermally deposited in cavities and joints in ore veins. In bedded tuff in lake deposits, altered from volcanic glass.

Common Associations:

Amphiboles, Axinite, Calcite, Dolomite, Epidote, Melilite, Nepheline, Olivine, Pyroxenes, Tridymite, Zeolites

Common Impurities:

None

Type Locality:

Colle del Lares, San Nicolò Valley, Buffaure Group, Fassa Valley, Trento Province, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Year Discovered:

1792

View mineral photos:

Chabazite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Chabazite is the calcium dominant member of the Chabazite Series and a very rare member of the Zeolite Group of minerals that includes over 40 minerals and these gem-type minerals: Analcime, Barrerite, Chabazite, Epistilbite, Gmelinite-Na, Goosecreekite, Mordenite, Natrolite, Pollucite, Scolecite, Stellerite, Stilbite, Thomsonite and Yugawaralite. Chabazite, also known as Acadialite, is one of the lesser known Zeolites. Although it is a fairly common mineral, it is a very rare gem.

Chabazite was named Chabasie in 1792 by Bosc d'Antic and later changed to the current spelling. It was named from the Greek chabazios, an ancient name for a stone and its chemical composition. The stone is one of twenty stones named in the poem Peri lithos, which extolled the virtues of minerals. The poem is ascribed to Orpheus, legendary founder of the Orphic cult.

Chabazite is a common Zeolite so there are many locations for the mineral but very few for fine, gem quality crystals. A few of these locations are Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany; Breidhdalsheidhi, Iceland; Khandivali quarry, near Bombay, Maharashtra, India; Paterson, Passaic County, and Bergen Hill, Hudson County, New Jersey, USA.
 

  
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