Xonotlite Mineral Data

Xonotlite Mineral Data +

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General Xonotlite Information

Chemical Formula:

Ca6Si6O17(OH)2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 714.99 gm

Calcium 33.63 % Ca 47.06 % CaO

Silicon 23.57 % Si 50.42 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 0.28 % H 2.52 % H₂O

Oxygen 42.52 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca₆Si₆O₁₇(OH)₂

Environment:

Veinlets in serpentine or contact zones.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1866

Locality:

Tetela de Xonotla, Puebla, Mexico. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for the locality.

Synonym:

Eakleite

ICSD 20702

Jurupaite

PDF 23-125

Xonotlite Image

Images:

Xonotlite

Comments: Tufts of hair-like Xonotlite crystals on datolite rich matrix.
Location: Kalahari Manganese Field, Kuruman Hills, Cape Province, South Africa. Scale: 5.5 x 3.7 cm.
© John Veevaert

Images:

Xonotlite

Comments: White fibrous crystals of xonotlite to 1mm in a vug.
Location: Christmas mine, Gila Co., Arizona, United States. Scale: Picture size 5 mm.
© Tom Loomis / Dakota Matrix

Xonotlite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =4.6299:1:1.9051

Cell Dimensions:

a = 17.029, b = 3.678, c = 7.007, Z = 1; beta = 90.34° V = 438.86 Den(Calc)= 2.71

Crystal System:

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

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.085(1), 2.828(0.5), 2.697(0.4),

Crystal Structure:

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Hejny C , Armbruster T , Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie , 216 (2001) p.396-408, Polytypism in xonotlite Ca6Si6O17(OH)2, Note: polytype derived from structure in Kudoh and Takeuchi (1979), Locality: model structure, not experimentally determined

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Xonotlite
[1] [2] [3]

Physical Properties of Xonotlite

Cleavage:

[???] Good

Color:

Colorless, Gray, Lemon white, Light gray, Pink.

Density:

2.7

Diaphaniety:

Transparent

Fracture:

Tough - Difficult to break apart as shown by fibrous minerals and most metals.

Habit:

Acicular - Occurs as needle-like crystals.

Habit:

Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Hardness:

6.5 - Pyrite

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous - Silky

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Xonotlite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.025 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.022 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2169,KPDmeas= 0.2177,KC= 0.2123

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.583, b=1.585, g=1.595, bire=0.0120, 2V(Calc)=50, 2V(Meas)=0-5. Dispersion small.

Calculated Properties of Xonotlite

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.71 gm/cc
note: r_Xonotlite=2.71 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.01166
Boson Index = 0.98834

Photoelectric:

PE_Xonotlite= 5.02 barns/electron
U=PE_Xonotlite x r_electron= 13.62 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Xonotlite is Not Radioactive

Xonotlite Classification

Dana Class:

66.3.1.1 (66)Inosilicate Double-Width Unbranched Chains, W=2

(66.3)with chains P>2

(66.3.1)P=3

66.3.1.1 Xonotlite Ca6Si6O17(OH)2 P 2/a 2/m

66.3.1.2 Zorite Na6Ti5[Si12O34](O,OH)5·11(H2O) C mmm 2/m 2/m 2/m

66.3.1.3 Eudidymite NaBeSi3O7(OH) C 2/c 2/m

66.3.1.4 Epididymite NaBeSi3O7(OH) Pnam 2/m 2/m 2/m

66.3.1.5 Yuksporite (Sr,Ba)2K4(Ca,Na)14([],Mn,Fe){(Ti,Nb)4(O,OH)4[Si6O17]2[Si2O7]3}(H2O,OH)n,n~3 P 2₁/m 2/m

66.3.1.6 Haineaultite! (Na,Ca)5Ca(Ti,Nb)5(Si,S)12O34(OH,F)8·5(H2O) C 222 2 2 2

66.3.1.7 IMA2004-052! Ca3Ti5[(Si6O17)2|O(OH)4]·14(H2O) C mmm 2/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

VIII/F.21-30 VIII - Silicates

VIII/F - Inosilicates (chain and band) Triplet chains [Si6O15/17]6-/10- and modified triplet bands

VIII/F.21 - Nekoite - Tacharanite series

VIII/F.21-10 Nekoite Ca3Si6O15·7(H2O) P1 1

VIII/F.21-20 Scawtite Ca7Si6(CO3)O18·2(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

VIII/F.21-30 Xonotlite Ca6Si6O17(OH)2 P 2/a 2/m

VIII/F.21-40 Tacharanite Ca12Al2Si18O33(OH)36 A centered Mono

Other Xonotlite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Ford32)

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Xonotlite

Ca6Si6O17(OH)2
Dana No: 66.3.1.1 Strunz No: VIII/F.21-30
Locality:

Notes: