Mineralogy Database

Aphthitalite Mineral Data

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General Aphthitalite Information

Help on Chemical Formula: Chemical Formula: (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 320.33 gm
   Potassium  27.46 %  K    33.08 % K2O
   Sodium     12.56 %  Na   16.93 % Na2O
   Sulfur     20.02 %  S    49.99 % SO3
   Oxygen     39.96 %  O
             ______        ______ 
             100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: K2.25Na1.75(SO4)2
Help on Environment: Environment: 1. Incrustations in fumaroles of volcanos. 2. Small crystals in marine and continental evaporite deposits.
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1813
Help on Locality: Locality: Douglashall near Strassfurt, Germany. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: Named from the Greek for "unalterable" and "salt" in allusion to its stability in air.
Help on Name Pronunciation: Name Pronunciation: Aphthitalite + Pronunciation Say APHTHITALITE
Help on Synonym: Synonym: Aphthalose
  Glaserite
  ICSD 26014
  PDF 20-928
  Vesuvian Salt
 

Aphthitalite Image

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  Aphthitalite

Comments: Aphthitalite crystals.
Location: Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Aphthitalite Crystallography
Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:c = 1:1.29026
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 5.65, c = 7.29, Z = 1; V = 201.54 Den(Calc)= 2.64
Help on Crystal System: Crystal System: Trigonal - Hexagonal Scalenohedral H-M Symbol (3 2/m) Space Group: P 3m
Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 2.85(1), 2.09(0.9), 2.97(0.9),
Help on Forms: Forms:

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Drag1 - Manipulate Crystal
Drag2 - Resize
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I - Indicies
<space> - Start-Stop Rotation
F - Fit to Screen
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Help on Above

Forms: ( 0 1 2) ( 1 0 0) ( 0 0 1)

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Physical Properties of Aphthitalite

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: {1011} Good
Help on Color: Color: Blue, Colorless, Green, Gray, Gray blue.
Help on Density: Density: 2.7
Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity: Transparent to Opaque
Help on Fracture: Fracture: Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.
Help on Habit: Habit: Encrustations - Forms crust-like aggregates on matrix.
Help on Habit: Habit: Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 3 - Calcite
Help on Luminescence: Luminescence: Fluorescent, Short UV=weak yellow, Long UV=butter yellow.
Help on Luster: Luster: Vitreous - Resinous
Help on Magnetism: Magnetism: Nonmagnetic
Help on Streak: Streak: white
 

Optical Properties of Aphthitalite

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= 0.017 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.005 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1865,KPDmeas= 0.1823,KC= 0.1855
Ncalc = 1.49 - 1.5
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Uniaxial (+), w=1.487-1.491, e=1.492-1.499, bire=0.0050-0.0080.
 

Calculated Properties of Aphthitalite

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density: Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.60 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Aphthitalite =2.64 gm/cc.
Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index: Fermion Index = 0.001726293
Boson Index = 0.998273707
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric: PEAphthitalite = 4.16 barns/electron
U=PEAphthitalite x relectron= 10.84 barns/cc.
Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity:

GRapi = 390.88 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Aphthitalite per GRapi unit = 0.26 (%)

Estimated Radioactivity from Aphthitalite - barely detectable

 

Aphthitalite Classification
Help on Dana Class: Dana Class: 28.02.02.01 (28)Anhydrous Acid and Sulfates
  (28.02)(A+)2 XO4
  (28.02.02)Dana Group
 
28.02.02.01 Aphthitalite (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2 P 3m 3 2/m
Help on Strunz Class: Strunz Class: 07.AC.35 07 - SULFATES (SELENATES, TELLURATES)
  07.A - Sulfates (selenates, etc.) without Additional Anions, without H2O
  07.AC -With medium-sized and large cations
 
07.AC.35 Aphthitalite (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2 P 3m 3 2/m
 

Other Aphthitalite Information
Help on References: References: NAME( Dana7) PHYS. PROP.(Collectors Book of Fluorescent Minerals) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)
Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Aphthitalite :
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 - WWW-MINCRYST

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Aphthitalite

(K,Na)3Na(SO4)2
Dana No: 28.02.02.01 Strunz No: 07.AC.35
Locality:

 

Notes:

 
 
   
 

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