|
Click on a
letter above to view the list of gems. |
|
|
|
| Lorenzenite
was named in honor of Johannes Theodor Lorenzen (1855-1884),
Danish mineralogist interested in Greenland minerals.
Lorenzen died at age 29 while on an expedition to Greenland
in 1884.
| Discovered
in 1897;
IMA
status:
Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered) |
|
Chemistry
|
|
|
Chemical
Formula: |
Na2Ti2Si2O9
|
|
Sodium
Titanium Silicate |
Molecular
Weight: |
341.91 gm |
Composition: |
Sodium |
13.45 % |
Na |
18.13 % |
Na2O |
|
Titanium |
28.01 % |
Ti |
46.73 % |
TiO2 |
|
Silicon |
16.43 % |
Si |
35.15 % |
SiO2 |
|
Oxygen |
42.12 % |
O |
|
|
|
|
100.00 % |
|
100.00 % |
= TOTAL OXIDE |
|
|
Classification
|
|
|
Mineral
Classification: |
Silicates
(Germanates)
|
Strunz 8th
Ed. ID:
|
8/F.03-50
|
Nickel-Strunz 10th
Ed. ID:
|
9.DB.10
|
|
9 : SILICATES (Germanates) D : Inosilicates B : Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si2O6; Pyroxene-related minerals
|
Related
to: |
Lorenzenite
Group
|
Varieties: |
None
|
Synonyms: |
Ramsayite,
Ramzaite, Unnamed (MSH UK-1), Unnamed (MSH UK-16), Unnamed (MSH UK-7)
|
|
|
Crystal
Data
|
|
|
Crystallography:
|
Orthorhombic
- Dipyramidal
|
Crystal
Habit:
|
Crystals
equant, bladed prismatic, to needlelike, to 6 cm; fibrous,
felted, lamellar aggregates.
|
Twinning:
|
None
|
|
|
Physical
Properties
|
|
|
Cleavage: |
Distinct
on {010}
|
Fracture: |
Irregular/Uneven
|
Tenacity:
|
Brittle
|
Moh's
Hardness: |
6.0
|
Density:
|
3.42
- 3.45 (g/cm3)
|
Luminescence:
|
May
fluoresce pale yellow to dull green under SW UV, with
green cathodoluminescence. |
Radioactivity:
|
Not
Radioactive
|
|
|
Optical
Properties
|
|
|
Color: |
Pale
Purple-Brown, pale Pink to Mauve, Brown to Black.
|
Transparency: |
Transparent
to Translucent
|
Luster: |
Vitreous,
Adamantine
to Sub-Metallic, or Silky, Dull.
|
Refractive
Index: |
1.910
- 2.060 Biaxial ( - )
|
Birefringence: |
0.1000
|
Dispersion: |
Distinct;
r > v
|
Pleochroism: |
Weak;
X
= Y
= pale reddish yellow, yellowish brown to light brown;
Z
= pale yellow, brownish to dark brown.
|
|
|
Occurances
|
|
|
Geological
Setting: |
In
nepheline syenites and their associated pegmatites.
|
Common
Associations: |
Aegirine,
Nepheline, Microcline, Arfvedsonite, Elpidite, Loparite,
Eudialyte, Astrophyllite, Mangan-Neptunite, Låvenite,
Rinkite, Apatite, Titanite, Ilmenite |
Common
Impurities: |
Zr,
Al, Y, TR, La, Ce, Fe, Nb, Mn, Ca, Sr, F, H2O
|
Type
Locality: |
Narssārssuk pegmatite
(Narsarsuk pegmatite), Narssārssuk (Narsarsuk), Igaliku (Igaliko),
Narsaq, Kitaa (West Greenland) Province, Greenland |
Year
Discovered: |
1897
|
View
mineral photos: |
Lorenzenite
Mineral Photos and Locations |
|
|
More
Information
|
|
|
|
Mindat.org Webmineral.com
|
|
|
Lorenzenite
is a rare silicate mineral that has been known since
its discovery in 1897 but was only described in the
last 50 years. There are notable occurances on
both the coast of Greenland and on the Kola Penninsula
of Russia. Ramsayite is the old Russian name for Lorenzenite.
Lorenzenite can have a high luster (adamantine to sub-metallic)
due to its titanium content. Other titanium minerals,
such as Rutile, also
have a high luster.
Lorenzenite
was named in honor of Johannes Theodor Lorenzen (1855-1884),
Danish mineralogist interested in Greenland minerals.
Lorenzen died at age 29 while on an expedition to Greenland
in 1884. Lorenzen was responsible for the naming of
the following minerals: Kaersutite,
Kornerupine,
Polylithionite,
Rinkite and Steenstrupine.
There
are several localities for finding Lorenzenite. From
Narssārssuk and in the Gardiner complex, beyond the
head of Kangerdlugssuaq Fjord, Greenland. Near Mt. Karnasurt,
Lovozero massif, in the Khibiny massif, and the Kondor
massif, Kola Peninsula; in the Inagli, Konder, and Murun
massifs, near Aldan, Yakutia, Russia. At Lågendalen,
near Larvik, and on Låven Island, Langesundsfjord, Norway.
From Mont Saint-Hilaire and near Saint-Amable, Quebec,
Canada. At Point of Rocks, Colfax County, New Mexico,
and in the Diamond Jo quarry, Magnet Cove, Hot Spring
County, Arkansas, USA. On Tenerife, Canary Islands.
|
Lorenzenite
gems for sale:
We
have not photographed our Lorenzenite gems. Please
check back soon.
|
|