Clinoenstatite Mineral Data

General Clinoenstatite Information

Chemical Formula:

Mg2Si2O6

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 200.78 gm

Magnesium 24.21 % Mg 40.15 % MgO

Silicon 27.98 % Si 59.85 % SiO₂

Oxygen 47.81 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Mg₂Si₂O₆

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1906

Locality:

Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named as the monoclinic polymorph of enstatite.

Synonym:

Clinohypersthene

ICSD 71835

PDF 35-610

Clinoenstatite Image

Images:

Clinoenstatite

Comments: Crystalline massive clinoenstatite.
Location: Cape Vogel, Papua New Guinea. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Clinoenstatite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =1.0898:1:0.5863

Cell Dimensions:

a = 9.6065, b = 8.8146, c = 5.1688, Z = 4; beta = 108.335° V = 415.46 Den(Calc)= 3.21

Crystal System:

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

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.88(1), 2.98(0.95), 3.17(0.6),

Physical Properties of Clinoenstatite

Cleavage:

{???} Perfect, {???} Indistinct

Color:

Colorless, Green, Greenish yellow, Yellow brown.

Density:

3.2 - 3.6, Average = 3.4

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent to opaque

Fracture:

Brittle - Generally displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Habit:

Columnar - Forms columns

Habit:

Crystalline - Fine - Occurs as well-formed fine sized crystals.

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Hardness:

5-6 - Between Apatite and Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous - Pearly

Streak:

greenish gray

Optical Properties of Clinoenstatite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.059 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.004 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.204,KPDmeas= 0.1926,KC= 0.2048
Ncalc = 1.66 - 1.74

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.651, b=1.654, g=1.66, bire=0.0090

Calculated Properties of Clinoenstatite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.20 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Clinoenstatite =3.21 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.03
Boson Index = 0.97

Photoelectric:

PE_{Clinoenstatite}= 1.61 barns/electron
U=PE_{Clinoenstatite} x rElectron Density= 5.15 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Clinoenstatite Classification

Dana Class:

65.01.01.01 (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 Clinoenstatite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Clinoenstatite :
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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Clinoenstatite

Mg2Si2O6
Dana No: 65.01.01.01 Strunz No: 09.DA.10
Locality:

Notes:

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