Serendibite
Serendibite is an extremely rare silicate mineral that was first discovered in 1902 in Sri Lanka by Dunil Palitha Gunasekera and named after Serendib, the old Arabic name for Sri Lanka.
| Serendibite | |
|---|---|
 A relatively sharp, vitreous black crystal of serendibite from Le Oo, in Mogok Township, measures: 16 x 13 x 8 mm | |
| General | |
| Category | Inosilicates |
| Formula (repeating unit) | (Ca,Na)2(Mg,Fe2+)3(Al,Fe3+)3[O2|(Si,Al,B)6O18] |
| IMA symbol | Ser[1] |
| Strunz classification | 9.DH.40 |
| Dana classification | 69.2.1a.6 |
| Crystal system | Triclinic |
| Crystal class | Pinacoidal (1) (same H-M symbol) |
| Space group | P1 |
| Identification | |
| Color | pale yellow, blue-green, greyish blue, black |
| Twinning | Polysynthetic on {0-11} is common |
| Cleavage | None observed |
| Fracture | Uncommon, conchoidal |
| Mohs scale hardness | 6.5 - 7 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Streak | White |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent, Translucent,Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 3.42 - 3.52 (measured) 3.47 (calculated) |
| Optical properties | Biaxial (+) |
| Refractive index | 1.701 - 1.706 |
| Pleochroism | Visible,strong, color: green, blue, yellow, light blue, bluegreen, light yellow |
| 2V angle | Measured: 80° |
| Dispersion | strong |
| References | [2][3] |
The mineral is found in skarns associated with boron metasomatism of carbonate rocks where intruded by granite. Minerals occurring with serendibite include diopside, spinel, phlogopite, scapolite, calcite, tremolite, apatite, grandidierite, sinhalite, hyalophane, uvite, pargasite, clinozoisite, forsterite, warwickite and graphite.[3]
Crystal from Mogok, Myanmar, size: 1 cm x 0.7 cm x 0.7 cm
See also
References
- Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- Serendibite: Serendibite mineral information on Mindat
- "The Handbook of Mineralogy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
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