Vertumnite Mineral Data

General Vertumnite Information

Chemical Formula:

Ca8Al4(Al4Si5)O12[(OH)36•10(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 1,683.36 gm

Strontium 0.52 % Sr 0.62 % SrO

Calcium 18.57 % Ca 25.98 % CaO

Aluminum 13.46 % Al 25.44 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 8.51 % Si 18.20 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 3.34 % H 29.81 % H₂O

Oxygen 55.60 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.05 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca_7.8Sr_0.1Al_8.4Si_5.1O_12.6(OH)_36.1•9.8(H₂O)

Environment:

As a late-forming crystals inside a small cavity in phonolite.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1977

Locality:

Found in a quarry at Campomorto, Montalto di Castro, Lazio, Italy. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

For Vertumnus, the god worshipped by the ancient Etruscan people who inhabited the region where the mineral was found.

Name Pronunciation:

Vertumnite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 100407

PDF 29-291

Vertumnite Image

Images:

Vertumnite

Comments: Rosettes of colorless platy vertumnite crystals.
Location: Ettringer, Bellerberg Mt, Eifel mountains, Germany. Scale: See Image.
© Rruff Database

Vertumnite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.9961:1:4.3565

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.744, b = 5.766, c = 25.12, Z = 1; beta = 119.72° V = 722.53 Den(Calc)= 3.87

Crystal System:

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

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 4.187(1), 12.51(0.7), 6.275(0.65),

Crystal Structure:

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Galli E , Passaglia E , Tschermaks Mineralogische und Petrographische Mitteilungen , 25 (1978) p.33-46, Vertumnite: its crystal structure and relationship with natural and synthetic phases, Locality: Campomorto, Montalto di Castro

Physical Properties of Vertumnite

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Colorless.

Density:

2.15

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Fracture:

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

Habit:

Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).

Habit:

Pseudo Hexagonal - Crystals show a hexagonal outline.

Hardness:

5 - Apatite

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Vertumnite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.007 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.44 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1384,KPDmeas= 0.2491,KC= 0.2473
Ncalc = 1.53 - 1.96

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.531, b=1.535, g=1.541, bire=0.0100, 2V(Calc)=80, 2V(Meas)=62.

Calculated Properties of Vertumnite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.21 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Vertumnite =2.15 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0048606219
Boson Index = 0.9951393781

Photoelectric:

PE_Vertumnite= 3.55 barns/electron
U=PE_Vertumnite x rElectron Density= 7.85 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Vertumnite Classification

Dana Class:

73.01.06.01 (73)Phyllosilicate Condensed Tetrahedral Sheets

(73.01)with double layers

(73.01.06)Dana Group

73.01.06.01 Vertumnite Ca8Al4(Al4Si5)O12[(OH)36•10(H2O) P 2₁/a 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.EG.25 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.E - Phyllosilicates

09.EG -Double nets with 6-membered and larger rings

09.EG.25 Stratlingite Ca2Al[(OH)6AlSiO2-3(OH)4-3]•2,5(H2O) R 3m 3 2/m

09.EG.25 Vertumnite Ca8Al4(Al4Si5)O12[(OH)36•10(H2O) P 2₁/a 2/m

Other Vertumnite Information

References:

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

See Also:

Links to other databases for Vertumnite :
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

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Ask about Vertumnite here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Vertumnite Specimen Label here :

Vertumnite

Ca8Al4(Al4Si5)O12[(OH)36•10(H2O)
Dana No: 73.01.06.01 Strunz No: 09.EG.25
Locality:

Notes: