Pigeonite Mineral Data

General Pigeonite Information

Chemical Formula:

(Mg,Fe++,Ca)(Mg,Fe++)Si2O6

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 219.70 gm

Calcium 1.82 % Ca 2.55 % CaO

Magnesium 14.93 % Mg 24.77 % MgO

Iron 13.98 % Fe 17.99 % FeO

Silicon 25.57 % Si 54.70 % SiO₂

Oxygen 43.69 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Mg_1.35Fe²⁺_0.55Ca_0.1Si₂O₆

Environment:

Common in rapidly cooled siliceous volcanic rocks. Inverted varieties with exsolved augite are found in layered mafic intrusives. From metamorphosed iron formations.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1900

Locality:

Pigeon Point, Cook Co., Minnesota Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for the locality.

Name Pronunciation:

Pigeonite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 15197

PDF 13-421

Pigeonite Image

Images:

Pigeonite

Comments: Dark green prismatic pigeonite crystals in matrix.
Location: Belmont Quarry, Louden County, Virginia, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Pigeonite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =1.0844:1:0.5861

Cell Dimensions:

a = 9.706, b = 8.95, c = 5.246, Z = 4; beta = 108.59° V = 431.94 Den(Calc)= 3.38

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: P 2₁/c

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.9(1), 3.02(1), 3.21(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

Morimoto N , Guven N , American Mineralogist , 55 (1970) p.1195-1209, Refinement of the crystal structure of pigeonite

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Pigeonite
[1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [2] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [3] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [4] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [5] [50] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Physical Properties of Pigeonite

Cleavage:

{110} Good

Color:

Brown, Greenish brown, Light purple brown, Black.

Density:

3.3 - 3.46, Average = 3.38

Diaphaneity:

Translucent to Subopaque

Fracture:

Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Hardness:

6 - Orthoclase

Luster:

Vitreous - Dull

Streak:

gray white

Optical Properties of Pigeonite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.039 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.039 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2104,KPDmeas= 0.2104,KC= 0.2025
Ncalc = 1.67 - 1.7

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.683-1.722, b=1.684-1.722, g=1.704-1.752, bire=0.0210-0.0300, 2V(Calc)=0-26, 2V(Meas)=0-32. Dispersion weak to distinct, r < v.

Pleochroism (x):

colorless, faint pink, pink, or pale greenish brown.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless, faint pink, brownish pink, or pale greenish brown.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless, faint green, pale green, or pale reddish brown.

Calculated Properties of Pigeonite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.34 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Pigeonite =3.38 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.03
Boson Index = 0.97

Photoelectric:

PE_Pigeonite= 5.66 barns/electron
U=PE_Pigeonite x rElectron Density= 18.89 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Pigeonite Classification

Dana Class:

65.01.01.04 (65)Inosilicate Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1

(65.01)with chains P=2

(65.01.01)P2/c clinopyroxenes

65.01.01.01 Clinoenstatite Mg2Si2O6 P 2₁/c 2/m

65.01.01.02 Clinoferrosilite (Fe,Mg)2Si2O6 P 2₁/c 2/m

65.01.01.03 Kanoite (Mn,Mg)2Si2O6 P 2₁/c 2/m

65.01.01.04 Pigeonite (Mg,Fe,Ca)(Mg,Fe)Si2O6 P 2₁/c 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.DA.10 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.D - Inosilicates* Structural terminology according to Liebau (1985)

09.DA -Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si2O6; pyroxene family

09.DA.10 Clinoenstatite Mg2Si2O6 P 2₁/c 2/m

09.DA.10 Clinoferrosilite (Fe,Mg)2Si2O6 P 2₁/c 2/m

09.DA.10 Kanoite (Mn,Mg)2Si2O6 P 2₁/c 2/m

09.DA.10 Pigeonite (Mg,Fe,Ca)(Mg,Fe)Si2O6 P 2₁/c 2/m

Other Pigeonite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic2) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Heinrich65)

See Also:

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

Search for Pigeonite using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Pigeonite :

A Bijoux Google Search for Pigeonite
Adam's Minerals Google Search for Pigeonite
Cape Minerals Google Search for Pigeonite
Dakota Matrix Minerals Google Search for Pigeonite
Excalibur Mineral Corp. Google Search for Pigeonite
Exceptional Minerals Google Search for Pigeonite
John Betts Fine Minerals Search for Pigeonite
McDougall Minerals Google Search for Pigeonite
Mineral News Website Link
Rock and Mineral Shows Google Search for Pigeonite
Weinrich Minerals, Inc. Google Search for Pigeonite

Ask about Pigeonite 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 Pigeonite Specimen Label here :

Pigeonite

(Mg,Fe++,Ca)(Mg,Fe++)Si2O6
Dana No: 65.01.01.04 Strunz No: 09.DA.10
Locality:

Notes: