Beryllite Mineral Data

General Beryllite Information

Chemical Formula:

Be3SiO4(OH)2•(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 171.15 gm

Beryllium 15.80 % Be 43.84 % BeO

Silicon 16.41 % Si 35.11 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 2.36 % H 21.05 % H₂O

Oxygen 65.44 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Be₃(SiO₄)(OH)₂•(H₂O)

Environment:

In alkaline pegmatites.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1954

Locality:

Lovozero massif, Koa Peninsula, Russia. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named in allusion to the beryllium content.

Name Pronunciation:

Beryllite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

Metaberyllite - variety of beryllite with lower H2O content

Beryllite Image

Images:

Beryllite

Comments: Dirty white, soft, chalky filling of beryllite (Green Arrow) in a vuggy matrix.
Location: Lovozero, Mt. Karnasurt, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Scale: Size Not Given.
© Tom Loomis / Dakota Matrix

Beryllite Crystallography

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic Space Group: Unk

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.34(1), 4.01(1), 3.64(0.9),

Physical Properties of Beryllite

Color:

White.

Density:

2.196

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Habit:

Encrustations - Forms crust-like aggregates on matrix.

Habit:

Fibrous - Crystals made up of fibers.

Habit:

Spherical - Spherical, rounded aggregates.

Hardness:

1 - Talc

Luminescence:

Fluorescent, Short UV=gray green.

Luster:

Silky

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Beryllite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.005 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
KPDmeas= 0.2511,KC= 0.2498
Ncalc = 1.55

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.541, b=1.553, g=1.56, bire=0.0190

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Beryllite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.21 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Beryllite =2.20 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.16
Boson Index = 0.84

Photoelectric:

PE_Beryllite= 0.84 barns/electron
U=PE_Beryllite x rElectron Density= 1.85 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Beryllite Classification

Dana Class:

52.01.01.01 (52)Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups and O, OH, F, and H2O

(52.01)with cations in [4] coordination

(52.01.01)Dana Group

52.01.01.01 Beryllite Be3SiO4(OH)2•(H2O) Unk Ortho

Strunz Class:

09.AE.05 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.A - Nesosilicates

09.AE -Nesosilicates with additional (O,OH,F,H2O);

09.AE.05 Beryllite Be3SiO4(OH)2•(H2O) Unk Ortho

Other Beryllite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Dana;Collectors Book of Fluorescent Minerals) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Beryllite :
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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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Beryllite Specimen Label here :

Beryllite

Be3SiO4(OH)2•(H2O)
Dana No: 52.01.01.01 Strunz No: 09.AE.05
Locality:

Notes:

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