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Spodumene
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  LiAlSi₂O₆  [Lithium Aluminum Silicate]

Discovered about 1800;   IMA status: Hiddenite: Not Valid; Spodumene: Valid
The name Spodumene is from the Greek word spodumenos, meaning burnt to ash which refers to the ashy gray color of early mineral specimens.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/F.01-120

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.DA.30

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
A : Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si₂O₆; pyroxene family

Related to:

Pyroxene Group. Clinopyroxene Subgroup.

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

Spodumene: Crystals are prismatic, typically flattened and striated, to 12.5 m and 54 t. Commonly massive.

Twinning:

Common on [100].

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[110] Good, [100] Good, [010] Partings

Fracture:

Uneven to Subconchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

6.5 - 7.0

Density:

3.03 - 3.23 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

May show Yellow, Orange or Pink fluorescence under LW and SW UV.

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Colorless, White, Gray, Yellow

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Vitreous, Dull; Pearly on cleavages

Refractive Index:

1.648 - 1.679  Biaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.014 - 0.027

Dispersion:

Weak; r < v; 0.012

Pleochroism:

Distinct; X = Colorless; Y = Yellow; Z = Greenish Yellow

Occurances

Geological Setting:

A common constituent of lithium-rich granite pegmatites; in aplites and gneisses.

Common Associations:

Quartz, Albite, Petalite, Eucryptite, Lepidolite, Beryl

Common Impurities:

Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Na, K, H₂O

Type Locality:

Utö Island, Haninge, Södermanland, Sweden

Year Discovered:

1800

View mineral photos:

Spodumene Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Spodumene is a member of the Pyroxene Group of minerals that includes Aegirine, Diopside, Hedenbergite, Hypersthene, Jadeite, Petedunnite and Spodumene. Spodumene is also a member of the Spodumene Family of minerals that includes Hiddenite, Kunzite and Spodumene. It is a beautiful gem that is found as colorless, yellow, pale green, deep green (Hiddenite), pink (Kunzite), blue-green and, rarely, blue. Spodumene is stronly pleochroic, meaning it has a color intensity difference when viewed from different directions. It is a very difficult gem to facet because of its strong pleochroism, easy cleavage and splintery fracture.

There are many localities for fine Spodumene crystals including Nuristan district, Laghman Province, Afghanistan; Minas Gerais, Brazil; Maharitra, Mt. Bity, and Anjanabonoina, Madagascar. In the USA, giant crystals in the Etta mine, near Keystone, Pennington County, South Dakota,; at Hiddenite, Alexander County North Carolina; and from the Pala district, San Diego County, California.
 

  
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