Common
Associations: |
Magnetite,
Garnet, Fluorite (skarn); Albite, Cassiterite, Pyrite,
Muscovite (tin-bearing pegmatites); Arsenopyrite, Quartz,
Chlorite (hydrothermal deposits) |
Danalite is
a rare beryllium silicate sulfide mineral that is a
member of the Helvine
Group of minerals that also includes Danalite, Genthelvite, Helvine and Tugtupite.
Danalite was first described in 1866 from a deposite
in Essex County, Massachusettes, USA. Danalite can be found
in colors of yellow,
pink, reddish brown or red but seldom crystalized and
most often found as red to pink opaque masses in rock. Danalite
is translucent to semi-transparent with vitreous to
greasy luster and a Mohs hardness of 5.5 - 6.0.
Faceted gems are very rare and typically very small.
Danalite
was named in 1866 by Harvard mineralogist and chemist Josiah Parsons Cooke Jr. (1827-1894) to honor
American geologist, mineralogist, volcanologist, and zoologist
James Dwight Dana (1813-1895). Dana is credited with
naming more than 100 minerals. He also published more
than 200 titles of books, manuscripts and papers beginning in 1835 with a paper on the conditions of Mount
Vesuvius. Dana's best known books were his System of Mineralogy (1837),
Manual of Mineralogy (1848)
and Manual of Geology (1863).
These books are very well known in the fields of mineralogy
and geology. The Manual of Mineralogy became a standard college
text and has been continuously revised and updated. The 23rd edition is now in print under the title Manual of Mineral Science (Manual of Mineralogy) (2007).
Dana's System of Mineralogy has also been continuously
revised and updated with the 8th edition being published in 1997 under the title Dana's New Mineralogy.
Danalite can be found
at the following localities: in the USA, at Rockport and Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts;
on Moat Mountain, Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire;
at Iron Mountain, Sierra County, New Mexico; and from the
Black Hills, south of Jerome, Yavapai County, Arizona.
From Needlepoint Mountain, McDame area, British Columbia,
and on Walrus Island, James Bay, Quebec, Canada. In
Sweden, from Yxsjö, Örebro. At Redruth, St. Just,
Lanlivery, Falmouth, and Lanivet, Cornwall, England.
In Russia, from Imalka, Transbaikal, and other less-well-defined
localities. From the Kara mine, Tasmania, and on Mt.
Francisco, Ribawa area, Western Australia. In the Mihara
mine, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.
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