Andradite
| Andradite | |
|---|---|
Single crystal (4.2cm) – Diakon, Nioro du Sahel Circle, Kayes Region, Mali
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| General | |
| Category | Garnet group |
|
Formula (repeating unit) |
Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3 |
| Strunz classification | 9.AD.25 |
| Crystal system | Cubic |
| Crystal class | Hexoctahedral (m3m) H-M symbol: (4/m 3 2/m) |
| Space group | Ia3d |
| Unit cell | a = 12.056 Å; Z = 8 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Yellow, greenish yellow to emerald-green, dark green; brown, brownish red, brownish yellow; grayish black, black; may be sectored |
| Crystal habit | Commonly well-crystallized dodecahedra, trapezohedra, or combinations, also granular to massive |
| Cleavage | none |
| Fracture | conchoidal to uneven |
| Tenacity | Brittle |
| Mohs scale hardness | 6.5 to 7 |
| Luster | Adamantine to resinous, dull |
| Streak | White |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent to translucent |
| Specific gravity | 3.859 calculated; 3.8 - 3.9 measured |
| Optical properties | Isotropic, typically weakly anisotropic |
| Refractive index | n = 1.887 |
| Absorption spectra | demantoid - 440nm band or complete absorption at 440nm and below, may also have lines at 618, 634, 685, 690nm |
| References | |
| Major varieties | |
| Demantoid | transparent light to dark green to yellow-green |
| Melanite | opaque black |
| Topazolite | transparent to translucent yellow, may show chatoyancy |
Andradite is a species of the garnet group. It is a nesosilicate, with formula Ca3Fe2Si3O12.
Andradite includes three varieties:
It was first described in 1868 for an occurrence in Drammen, Buskerud, Norway. Andradite was named after the Brazilian statesman, naturalist, professor and poet José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva (1763–1838).
It occurs in skarns developed in contact metamorphosed impure limestones or calcic igneous rocks; in chlorite schists and serpentinites and in alkalic igneous rocks (typically titaniferous). Associated minerals include vesuvianite, chlorite, epidote, spinel, calcite, dolomite and magnetite. It is found in Italy, the Ural Mountains of Russia, Arizona and California and in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in Ukraine.
Like the other garnets, andradite crystallizes in the cubic space group [[Ia3d]], with unit-cell parameter of 12.051 Å at 100 K.
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