Stellerite Mineral Data

Stellerite Mineral Data +

General Stellerite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaAl2Si7O18·7(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 704.74 gm

Calcium 5.69 % Ca 7.96 % CaO

Aluminum 7.66 % Al 14.47 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 27.90 % Si 59.68 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 2.00 % H 17.89 % H₂O

Oxygen 56.76 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaAl₂Si₇O₁₈·7(H₂O)

Environment:

Found in diabase-tuff from the Komandor islands, Bering Sea and other diabase rocks world wide.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1909

Locality:

Copper Isand, Commander Islands, Bering Sea. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after Georg Wilhelm Steller (1709-1746), German explorer, zoologist and the discoverer of the Komandor Islands.

Synonym:

ICSD 4395

PDF 25-124

Stellerite Image

Images:

Stellerite

Comments: Hemispherical crystal cluster 35 mm diameter of white stellerite crystals in a pocket lined with drusy quartz.
Location: Pune (Poonah), Maharashtra, India. Scale: 13x7x5 cm.
© John Betts - Fine Minerals

Images:

Stellerite

Comments: Orange, blocky crystalline stellerite aggregate.
Location: Tambar Springs, New South Wales, Australia. Scale: Picture size 6x4 cm.
© Dave Barthelmy

Stellerite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.7462:1:0.9704

Cell Dimensions:

a = 13.599, b = 18.222, c = 17.683, Z = 8; V = 4,381.86 Den(Calc)= 2.14

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - DipyramidalH-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: F mmm

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 9.03(1), 4.04(0.45), 3.03(0.25),

Crystal Structure:

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Arletti R , Mazzucato E , Vezzalini G , American Mineralogist , 91 (2006) p.628-634, Influence of dehydration kinetics on T-O-T bridge breaking, in zeolites with framework type STI: The case of stellerite, Locality: Seremida, Sardinia, Italy, Sample: T = 302 K, Note: occupancies invented to match formula

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

Physical Properties of Stellerite

Cleavage:

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

Color:

White, Pink, Salmon orange, Brown, Red.

Density:

2.12 - 2.13, Average = 2.12

Diaphaniety:

Transparent to translucent

Habit:

Spherical - Spherical, rounded aggregates.

Habit:

Stellate - Occurs as spherical, radial aggregates radiating from a "star" like point.

Habit:

Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction.

Hardness:

4.5 - Between Fluorite and Apatite

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Stellerite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.002 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.009 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2296,KPDmeas= 0.2312,KC= 0.2316

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.4848, b=1.4864-1.4964, g=1.4979, bire=0.0131

Calculated Properties of Stellerite

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.16 gm/cc
note: r_Stellerite=2.13 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.01338
Boson Index = 0.98662

Photoelectric:

PE_Stellerite= 2.02 barns/electron
U=PE_Stellerite x r_electron= 4.37 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Stellerite is Not Radioactive

Stellerite Classification

Dana Class:

77.1.4.4 (77)Tectosilicate Zeolite group

(77.1)true zeolites

(77.1.4)Heulandite and related species

77.1.4.1 Heulandite-Ca (Ca,Na)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, Cm, C 2 Mono

77.1.4.1a Heulandite-Na! (Na,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, Cm, C 2 Mono

77.1.4.1b Heulandite-K! (K,Na,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, Cm, C 2 2/m

77.1.4.1c Heulandite-Sr! (Sr,Na,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, Cm, C 2 Mono

77.1.4.1d Heulandite-Ba! (Ba,Ca,K,Na,Sr)5Al9Si27O72·22(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

77.1.4.2 Clinoptilolite-K (Na,K,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, C 2, Cm Mono

77.1.4.2a Clinoptilolite-Na! (Na,K,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, C 2, Cm Mono

77.1.4.2b Clinoptilolite-Ca! (Ca,Na,K)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

77.1.4.3 Stilbite-Ca NaCa4[Al8Si28O72]·n(H2O)(n=28-32) C 2/m 2/m

77.1.4.3a Stilbite-Na! Na3Ca3[Al8Si28O72]·n(H2O)(n=28-32) C 2/m 2/m

77.1.4.4 Stellerite CaAl2Si7O18·7(H2O) F mmm 2/m 2/m 2/m

77.1.4.5 Barrerite (Na,K,Ca)2Al2Si7O18·6(H2O) Amma or Ammm 2/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

VIII/J.23-50 VIII - Silicates

VIII/J - Tectosilicates (network), with zeolite-structure, Bladed Zeolites

VIII/J.23 - Zeolite group, Heulandite - Barium-brewsterite series

VIII/J.23-06 Heulandite-Na! (Na,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, Cm, C 2 Mono

VIII/J.23-08 Heulandite-K! (K,Na,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, Cm, C 2 2/m

VIII/J.23-10 Heulandite-Ca (Ca,Na)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, Cm, C 2 Mono

VIII/J.23-12 Heulandite-Sr! (Sr,Na,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, Cm, C 2 Mono

VIII/J.23-18 Clinoptilolite-Na! (Na,K,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, C 2, Cm Mono

VIII/J.23-20 Clinoptilolite-K (Na,K,Ca)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m, C 2, Cm Mono

VIII/J.23-22 Clinoptilolite-Ca! (Ca,Na,K)2-3Al3(Al,Si)2Si13O36·12(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

VIII/J.23-26 Stilbite-Na! Na3Ca3[Al8Si28O72]·n(H2O)(n=28-32) C 2/m 2/m

VIII/J.23-30 Stilbite-Ca NaCa4[Al8Si28O72]·n(H2O)(n=28-32) C 2/m 2/m

VIII/J.23-40 Barrerite (Na,K,Ca)2Al2Si7O18·6(H2O) Amma or Ammm 2/m 2/m 2/m

VIII/J.23-50 Stellerite CaAl2Si7O18·7(H2O) F mmm 2/m 2/m 2/m

VIII/J.23-60 Goosecreekite CaAl2Si6O16·5(H2O) P 2₁ 2

VIII/J.23-70 Epistilbite CaAl2Si6O16·5(H2O) C1 1

VIII/J.23-80 Brewsterite-Sr (Sr,Ba)Al4Si12O32·10(H2O) P 2₁/m 2/m

VIII/J.23-90 Brewsterite-Ba! (Ba,Sr)Al2Si6O16·5(H2O) P 2₁/m,P 2₁ Mono

Other Stellerite Information

References:

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

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Stellerite

CaAl2Si7O18·7(H2O)
Dana No: 77.1.4.4 Strunz No: VIII/J.23-50
Locality:

Notes: