Paragonite Mineral Data

[Newest Minerals] [Minerals for Sale] [Educational Articles] [About Us] [Image Gallery]
John Betts - Fine Minerals
Classic minerals, out-of-print books & magazines, plus informative articles for collectors

General Paragonite Information

Chemical Formula:

NaAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 382.20 gm

Sodium 6.02 % Na 8.11 % Na₂O

Aluminum 21.18 % Al 40.02 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 22.05 % Si 47.16 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 0.53 % H 4.71 % H₂O

Oxygen 50.23 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

NaAl₃Si₃O₁₀(OH)₂

Environment:

Metamorphic mineral formed in schists and gneisses under a broad range of P-T conditions. Commonly mistaken for "sericite".

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1843

Locality:

Mte. Campione, Tessin, Switzerland. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named from the Greek for "to mislead", in allusion to its originally having been mistaken for talc.

Name Pronunciation:

Paragonite + Pronunciation

Paragonite Image

Images:

Paragonite Chloritoid

Comments: Grayish crystalline inclusion of chloritoid in white, massive paragonite.
Location: Drandorf Fundgrube Mine, Bockau, Schwarzenberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany. Scale: Picture size 4 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

Paragonite

Comments: Silvery micaceous paragonite comprising schist rock, with garnet crystals.
Location: Gassettts, New Hampshire, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Paragonite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.577:1:2.1732

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.13, b = 8.89, c = 19.32, Z = 4; beta = 95° V = 877.75 Den(Calc)= 2.89

Crystal System:

MonoclinicSpace Group: C 2/c,Cc

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.522(1), 4.39(0.9), 3.203(0.8),

Crystal Structure:

Mouse
drag1 - LMB Manipulate Structure
drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
Keyboard
S - Stereo Pair on/off
H - Help Screen
I - Data Info
A - Atoms On/Off
P - Polyhedra On/Off
B - Bonds On/Off
Help on Above

Comodi P , Zanazzi P F , Physics and Chemistry of Minerals , 27 (2000) p.377-385, Structural thermal behavior of paragonite and its dehydroxylate:, a high-temperature single-crystal study, Sample 2: T = 600 C

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Paragonite
[1] [2] [3] [4] [8]

Physical Properties of Paragonite

Cleavage:

{001} Perfect

Color:

White, Yellow.

Density:

2.78

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent

Habit:

Massive - Fibrous - Distinctly fibrous fine-grained forms.

Habit:

Scaly - Morphology like fish scales.

Hardness:

2.5 - Finger Nail

Luster:

Pearly

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Paragonite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.004 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.034 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2051,KPDmeas= 0.2132,KC= 0.2124
Ncalc = 1.59 - 1.61

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.564-1.58, b=1.594-1.609, g=1.6-1.609, bire=0.0290-0.0360, 2V(Calc)=0-46, 2V(Meas)=0-40.

Calculated Properties of Paragonite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.76 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Paragonite =2.78 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99

Photoelectric:

PE_Paragonite= 1.57 barns/electron
U=PE_Paragonite x rElectron Density= 4.34 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Paragonite is Not Radioactive

Paragonite Classification

Dana Class:

71.02.02a.02 (71)Phyllosilicate Sheets of Six-Membered Rings

(71.02)with 2:1 Layers

(71.02.02a)Mica Group (Muscovite subgroup)

71.02.02a.01 Muscovite KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.02 Paragonite NaAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2 C 2/c,Cc Mono

71.02.02a.03 Chernykhite (Ba,Na)V,Al)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

71.02.02a.04 Roscoelite K(V,Al,Mg)2AlSi3O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.05 Glauconite (K,Na)(Fe,Al,Mg)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.06 Celadonite K(Mg,Fe)(Fe,Al)[Si4O10](OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.06b Ferroceladonite! K2FeFeSi8O20(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.06c Ferroaluminoceladonite! K2Fe2Al2Si8O20(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.06d Aluminoceladonite! KAl(Mg,Fe)[]Si4O10(OH)2 2/m

71.02.02a.06e Chromceladonite! KCrMg(Si4O10)(OH)2 C 2 2

71.02.02a.07 Tobelite (NH4,K)Al2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.08 Nanpingite Cs(Al,Mg,Fe,Li)2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/c 2/m

71.02.02a.09 Boromuscovite KAl2(Si3B)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.10 Montdorite (K,Na)(Fe,Mn,Mg)2.5[Si4O10](F,OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

71.02.02a.11 Chromphyllite! (K,Ba)(Cr,Al)2[AlSi3O10](OH,F)2 C 2c 2/m

71.02.02a.12 Shirokshinite! K(NaMg2)Si4O10F2 C 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.EC.15 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.E - Phyllosilicates

09.EC -Phyllosilicates with mica sheets, composed of tetrahedral and octahedral nets

09.EC.15 Boromuscovite KAl2(Si3B)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Celadonite K(Mg,Fe)(Fe,Al)[Si4O10](OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Chernykhite (Ba,Na)V,Al)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

09.EC.15 Chromphyllite! (K,Ba)(Cr,Al)2[AlSi3O10](OH,F)2 C 2c 2/m

09.EC.15 Glauconite (K,Na)(Fe,Al,Mg)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Aluminoceladonite! KAl(Mg,Fe)[]Si4O10(OH)2 2/m

09.EC.15 Ferroaluminoceladonite! K2Fe2Al2Si8O20(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Ferroceladonite! K2FeFeSi8O20(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Montdorite (K,Na)(Fe,Mn,Mg)2.5[Si4O10](F,OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

09.EC.15 Nanpingite Cs(Al,Mg,Fe,Li)2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/c 2/m

09.EC.15 Tobelite (NH4,K)Al2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Roscoelite K(V,Al,Mg)2AlSi3O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Muscovite KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Paragonite NaAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2 C 2/c,Cc Mono

09.EC.15 Tainiolite KLiMg2Si4O10F2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Chromceladonite! KCrMg(Si4O10)(OH)2 C 2 2

09.EC.15 Ganterite! [Ba0.5(Na,K)0.5]Al2(Si2.5Al1.5O10)(OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

Other Paragonite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Paragonite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - Google Images
4 - Google Scholar
5 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
6 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
7 - MinDAT
8 - MinMax(Deutsch)
9 - MinMax(English)
10 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
11 - QUT Mineral Atlas
12 - Ruff.Info
13 - UCLA - Petrography Thin-Sections
14 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Paragonite using:

[ALTAVISTA] [AOL] [All-The-Web] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [MAMMA] [MSN.COM] [Netscape] [Scirus] [Teoma] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Paragonite :

AA Mineral Specimens

B & L Fine Minerals

Crystalarium.com

Dan Weinrich Fine Minerals

Dan Weinrich Auctions

Dakota Matrix

Desert Winds Gems and Minerals

John Betts Fine Minerals

Mason's Minerals

Mineral News

Mineral of the Month Club

Wrights Rock Shop

Translate Paragonite Mineral Data :

Ask about Paragonite here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Paragonite Specimen Label here :

Paragonite

NaAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2
Dana No: 71.02.02a.02 Strunz No: 09.EC.15
Locality:

Notes: