Sarcopside
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

  
Sarcopside was named in 1868 by Christian Friedrich Martin Websky from the Greek words sarka, for flesh and opsism for view alluding to the flesh-red color observed on fresh fracture surfaces.

Discovered in 1868; IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

(Fe²⁺,Mn²⁺,Mg)₃(PO₄)₂

Iron Manganese Magnesium Phosphate

Emperical Chemical Formula:

Fe²⁺_2.4Mn²⁺_0.3Mg_0.3(PO₄)_1.9

Molecular Weight:

338.25 gm

Composition:

Magnesium

2.16 %

Mg

3.57 % 

MgO

Manganese

4.87 %

Mn

6.29 % 

MnO

Iron

39.63 %

Fe

50.98 % 

FeO

Phosphorus

17.40 %

P

39.87 % 

P₂O₅

Oxygen

35.95 %

O

100.00 %

100.71 %

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

7/A.04-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

8.AB.15

8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
A : Phosphates, etc. without additional anions, without H₂O
B : With medium-sized cations

Related to:

Sarcopside Group. Isostructural with Chopinite. Ferrous iron analogue of Chopinite.

Members of Group:

Sarcopside Group: Chopinite, Sarcopside, Zavalíaite 

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

ICSD 72049, PDF 39-341

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

Fibrous, to 1 mm, more commonly platy or lamellar, in veinlets in oriented intergrowth with graftonite or triphylite.

Twinning:

Polysynthetic on {001}, common 

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

Good on {100}and {001}; poor on {010}. Distinct on a plane approximately perpendicular to the fibers, and another less distinct parallel to the fiber lenght (=[001] - ?).

Fracture:

Splintery to fibrous

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

4.0

Density:

3.64 - 3.73 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Gray-pink, red-brown, brown (slightly altered), blue, lavender, green; flesh-red in transmitted light, rarely white.

Transparency:

Translucent to opaque

Luster:

Resinous, silky to waxy

Refractive Index:

1.670 - 1.734  Biaxial ( - )

Birefringence:

0.060

Dispersion:

Perceptible; r > v

Pleochroism:

n/a

Occurances

Geological Setting:

Formed along with Graftonite, probably by exsolution from Triphylite, in complex zoned granite pegmatites.

Common Associations:

Graftonite, Vivianite, Huréaulite, Triphylite

Common Impurities:

n/a

Type Locality:

Michałkowa (Michelsdorf), Sowie Mts, Sudetes Mts, Lower Silesia (Dolnośląskie), Poland

Year Discovered:

1868

View mineral photos:

Sarcopside Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Sarcopside is a phosphate mineral of manganese, magnesium, and iron. It was named in 1868 by Christian Friedrich Martin Websky from the Greek words sarka, for flesh and opsism for view alluding to the flesh-red color observed on fresh fracture surfaces. Sarcopside is typically formed along with Graftonite, probably by exsolution from Triphylite, in complex zoned granite pegmatites. Sarcopside is not your normal gem-type mineral, more for the collector of the rare and unusual. The main source for "facet-grade" material could be Berg, Sollefteå, Ångermanland, Sweden. This material is a deep reddish brown with resinous to waxy luster.

Locations for finding : From Góry Sowie (Michelsdorf), in the Eulengebirge, Silesia, Poland. At Otov and Domažlice, Czech Republic. From the Norrö pegmatite, on Rånö Island, and in the Berg quarry, near Sollefteå, Västerbotten, Sweden. At Hagendorf, Bavaria, Germany. In the USA, in New Hampshire, at the Gingrass Farm, near Deering, Hillsboro County, in the G.E. Smith mine, Newport, Sullivan County, and from the DeMott and French King No. 2 mines, East Alstead, Cheshire County; in South Dakota, at the Bull Moose and Victory mines, and the Lofton prospect, near Custer, Custer County From the Énio pegmatite mine, northeast of Galiléia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In the Tsaobismund pegmatite, 60 km south of Karibib, Namibia.
 

  
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