Saponite Mineral Data

General Saponite Information

Chemical Formula:

(Ca/2,Na)0,3(Mg,Fe++)3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2•4(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 480.19 gm

Sodium 0.48 % Na 0.65 % Na₂O

Calcium 0.83 % Ca 1.17 % CaO

Magnesium 11.39 % Mg 18.89 % MgO

Aluminum 5.62 % Al 10.62 % Al₂O₃

Iron 8.72 % Fe 11.22 % FeO

Silicon 17.55 % Si 37.54 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 2.10 % H 18.76 % H₂O

Oxygen 53.31 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 98.83 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca_0.1Na_0.1Mg_2.25Fe²⁺_0.75Si₃AlO₁₀(OH)₂•4(H₂O)

Environment:

Amygdaloidal cavities in basalts.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1758

Locality:

Lizard Head in Cornwall, England. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Latin, sapo meaning "soap.'

Name Pronunciation:

Saponite

Synonym:

Griffithite-Ferroan

Piotine

Sobotkite - Al bearing

Saponite Image

Images:

Saponite

Comments: Light brown saponite pseudomorphs after stilbite crystals up to 6 mm.
Location: Thetford Mines, Mégantic Co., Québec, Canada. Scale: 25x25x12 mm.
© John Betts - Fine Minerals

Saponite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.5786:1:1.3537

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.3, b = 9.16, c = 12.4, Z = 2; beta = 96.5° V = 598.13 Den(Calc)= 2.67

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: C 2/m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 12.3(1), 1.53(0.7), 3.1(0.5),

Physical Properties of Saponite

Cleavage:

{001} Perfect

Color:

White, Yellowish white, Greenish white, Reddish white, Bluish white.

Density:

2.3

Diaphaneity:

Subtranslucent to opaque

Fracture:

Earthy - Dull, clay-like fractures with no visible crystalline affinities, (e.g. howlite).

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Habit:

Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Hardness:

1.5-2 - Talc-Gypsum

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Earthy (Dull)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Saponite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.026 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.161 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1899,KPDmeas= 0.2204,KC= 0.2264
Ncalc = 1.52 - 1.6

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.479-1.49, b=1.51-1.525, g=1.511-1.527, bire=0.0320-0.0370, 2V(Calc)=20-26, 2V(Meas)=0-10. Dispersion none.

Calculated Properties of Saponite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.32 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Saponite =2.30 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.02
Boson Index = 0.98

Photoelectric:

PE_Saponite= 3.76 barns/electron
U=PE_Saponite x rElectron Density= 8.75 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Saponite Classification

Dana Class:

71.03.01b.02 (71)Phyllosilicate Sheets of Six-Membered Rings

(71.03)with 2:1 clays

(71.03.01b)Smectite group (Trioctahedral Smectites)

71.03.01b.01 Sobotkite? (K,Ca0.5)0.33(Mg,Al)3(Si3Al)O10(OH)2•1-5(H2O) Unk. Mono

71.03.01b.02 Saponite (Ca/2,Na)0,3(Mg,Fe)3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2•4(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

71.03.01b.02a Ferrosaponite! Ca0.3(Fe,Mg,Fe)3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2•4(H2O) C? Mono

71.03.01b.03 Sauconite Na0,3Zn3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2•4(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

71.03.01b.04 Hectorite Na0,3(Mg,Li)3Si4O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.03.01b.05 Pimelite? Ni3Si4O10(OH)2•4(H2O) Unk. Hex

71.03.01b.06 Stevensite (Ca0.5,Na)0.33(Mg,Fe)3Si4O10(OH)2•n(H2O) Unk (ORTH ?) Mono

71.03.01b.07 Yakhontovite (Ca,K)0.5(Cu,Fe,Mg)2Si4O10(OH)2•3(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

71.03.01b.08 Zincsilite Zn3Si4O10(OH)2•4(H2O)(?) C 2/m ? 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.EC.45 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.E - Phyllosilicates

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

09.EC.45 Griffithite* 4(Mg,Fe,Ca)O.(Al,Fe)2O3.5SiO2•7(H2O) Mono

09.EC.45 Hectorite Na0,3(Mg,Li)3Si4O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.45 Swinefordite (Li,Ca0.5,Na)0.72(Li,Al,Mg)2.66(Si,Al)4O10(OH,F)2•2(H2O) C 2/m (MON or ORTH) 2/m

09.EC.45 Zincsilite Zn3Si4O10(OH)2•4(H2O)(?) C 2/m ? 2/m

09.EC.45 Saponite (Ca/2,Na)0,3(Mg,Fe)3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2•4(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.45 Sauconite Na0,3Zn3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2•4(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.45 Spadaite MgSiO2(OH)2•(H2O)(?) Ortho

09.EC.45 Sobotkite? (K,Ca0.5)0.33(Mg,Al)3(Si3Al)O10(OH)2•1-5(H2O) Unk. Mono

09.EC.45 Stevensite (Ca0.5,Na)0.33(Mg,Fe)3Si4O10(OH)2•n(H2O) Unk (ORTH ?) Mono

09.EC.45 Ferrosaponite! Ca0.3(Fe,Mg,Fe)3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2•4(H2O) C? Mono

Other Saponite Information

References:

NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Ford32)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Saponite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Athena
5 - EUROmin Project
6 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
7 - GeoScienceWorld
8 - Google Images
9 - Google Scholar
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
11 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
12 - MinDAT
13 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
14 - Online Mineral Museum
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info

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

Saponite

(Ca/2,Na)0,3(Mg,Fe++)3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2•4(H2O)
Dana No: 71.03.01b.02 Strunz No: 09.EC.45
Locality:

Notes: