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Stellerite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  CaAl₂Si₇O₁₈·7(H₂O)  
[Hydrated Calcium Aluminum Silicate]

Discovered in 1909;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Stellerite is named after Georg Wilhelm Steller (1709-1746), German explorer and zoologist, discover of the Komandorskiye islands, Bering Sea (Russia).

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/J.23-50

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.GE.15

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
G : Tektosilicates with zeolitic H₂O; zeolite family
E : Chains of T₁₀O₂₀ Tetrahedra

Related to:

Zeolite Group. Heulandite - Barium - Brewsterite Series. Chemically similar to Stilbite-Ca.

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal

Crystal Habit:

Single crystals show the forms [100], [010], [001], and [111]. Commonly in spheres, to 12 cm, of radiating crystals; as crystal aggregates.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[010] Perfect, [100] Imperfect, [001] Imperfect

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

4.5

Density:

2.12 - 2.13 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Colorless to White, Pink, Orange

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Pearly

Refractive Index:

1.485 - 1.498  Biaxial ( - )

Birefringence:

0.0130

Dispersion:

None

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

Lines cavities and fracture surfaces in volcanic rocks altered by hydrothermal solutions.

Common Associations:

Prehnite, Tridymite, Zeolites

Common Impurities:

Fe, Mn, Mg, Sr, Ba, Na, K

Type Locality:

Mednyi Island, Commander Islands (Komandorskije ostrova), Bering Sea, Kamchatka Oblast', Far-Eastern Region, Russia

Year Discovered:

1909

View mineral photos:

Stellerite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Stellerite is one of the rarest members of the Zeolite Group of minerals that includes over 40 minerals and these gem-type minerals: Analcime, Barrerite, Chabazite, Epistilbite, Gmelinite-Na, Goosecreekite, Mordenite, Natrolite, Pollucite, Scolecite, Stellerite, Stilbite, Thomsonite and Yugawaralite. Stellerite is chemically similar to Stilbite. Like Stilbite, Stellerite crystals can aggregate together to form a structure resembling wheat sheafs with the tops and bottoms of the crystal structure fanning out while the middle remains thin. The two often appear identical in crystal form but Stellerite is usually more transparent and colorless.

Stellerite is only found in small quantities from several locations worldwide including Copper Island, Komandorskiye (Commander) Islands, Bering Sea, and at Klichka, Chita region, Siberia, Russia. Fine examples in the Sarbayskaya quarry, near Rudniy, Kazakhstan. From Villanova Monteleone, Alghero, Sardinia, Italy. At Kongsberg, Norway. In the USA, at Ritter Hot Springs, Grant County, Oregon; on Hook Mountain, Rockland County, New York; and at Fanwood, Somerset County, New Jersey. In Australia, large crystals from around Gunnedah, New South Wales, and at Harcourt, Dookie, and Corop, Victoria. Exceptional examples from Cinchwad, Poona, and in the Nasik district, Maharashtra, India.
 

  
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