Grunerite

Grunerite is a mineral of the amphibole group of minerals with formula Fe7Si8O22(OH)2. It is the iron endmember of the grunerite-cummingtonite series. It forms as fibrous, columnar or massive aggregates of crystals. The crystals are monoclinic prismatic. The luster is glassy to pearly with colors ranging from green, brown to dark grey. The Mohs hardness is 5 to 6 and the specific gravity is 3.4 to 3.5.

Grunerite
Grunerite from South Dakota
General
CategoryInosilicate
Formula
(repeating unit)		Fe7Si8O22(OH)2
Strunz classification9.DE.05
Crystal systemMonoclinic
Crystal classPrismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)
Space groupC2/m
Identification
Formula mass1,001.61 g/mol
ColorAshen, brown, brownish green, dark gray
Crystal habitColumnar, acicular
Mohs scale hardness5 - 6
LusterVitreous
StreakColorless
DiaphaneityTranslucent to opaque
Specific gravity3.45
Density3.4 - 3.5
Ultraviolet fluorescenceNon-fluorescent
Other characteristicsNot radioactive
References[1][2]

It was discovered in 1853 and named after Emmanuel-Louis Gruner (1809–1883), a Swiss-French chemist who first analysed it.

Amosite (fibrous grunerite)

Amosite is a rare asbestiform variety of grunerite that was mined as asbestos predominantly in the eastern part of the Transvaal Province of South Africa. The origin of the name is Amosa, the acronym for the mining company "Asbestos Mines of South Africa".

References
  1. Webmineral data
  2. Mindat
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.