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Scorzalite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  (Fe²⁺,Mg)Al₂(PO₄)₂(OH)₂  
[Iron Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide]

Discovered in 1947;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Scorzalite is named to honor Brazilian mineralogist, Evaristo Pena Scorza (1899-1969), Chief Mineralogist, Mineral Survey of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Phosphates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/B.08-30

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

8.BB.40

8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without H₂O
B : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO₄ about 1:1

Related to:

Lazulite Group, Trolleite - Richellite Series. The Fe2+ analogue of Lazulite.

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

Crystals dipyramidal, also massive, to 7 cm

Twinning:

Multiple, lamellar

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[110] Good, [101] Indistinct

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

6.0

Density:

3.33 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Other:

S

Optical Properties

Color:

Dark Blue, Greenish Blue

Transparency:

Translucent to Opaque

Luster:

Vitreous, Dull

Refractive Index:

1.6 - 1.680  Biaxial ( - )

Birefringence:

0.0330 - 0.0410

Dispersion:

Perceptible; r < v

Pleochroism:

Visible. X = colorless; Y = Z = blue

Occurances

Geological Setting:

Typically a secondary mineral in complex zoned granite pegmatites; may occur in kyanite-rich quartzite.

Common Associations:

Apatite, Berlinite, Feldspar, Lacroixite, Muscovite, Quartz, Souzalite, Tourmaline, Triphylite, Trolleite, Wyllieite

Type Locality:

Córrego Frio Mine, Linópolis, Divino das Laranjeiras, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil

Year Discovered:

1947

View mineral photos:

Scorzalite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Scorzalite is a rare phosphate mineral that was only recognized as a distinct mineral in 1947. Scorzalite is in a solid solution series with Lazulite. A solid solution series is a set of two or more minerals that have a couple of elements that substitute freely for each other. The Lazulite-Scorzalite series ranges from the magnesium rich Lazulite to the iron rich Scorzalite. The main differences between Lazulite and Scorzalite are that Scorzalite is usually a bit darker blue, less transparent and more dense than Lazulite.

Scorzalite is found at many localities worldwide including the Corrego Frio pegmatite mine, Divino das Laranjeiras, near Linópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In the USA, at the Victory mine, four km northeast of Custer, Custer County, and the White Cap mine, three km south of Keystone, Pennington County, South Dakota; in the Palermo #1 mine, near North Groton, Grafton County, and the G.E. Smith mine, Newport, New Hampshire; at the Bumpus Quarry, Albany, Oxford County, Maine; at the Champion mine, Mono County, California; from McIntyre Creek, about four km west of Glendevey, Larimer County, Colorado. In the Buranga and Rusororo pegmatites, Gatumba district, Rwanda. At Jebilet, Morocco. From Hålsjöberget, Värmland, and in the Norrö pegmatite, on Rånö Island, Sweden. At Hagendorf, Bavaria, Germany. Other localities are reported, but chemical analyses would be desirable.

  
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