Cowlesite Mineral Data

General Cowlesite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaAl2Si3O10•5-6(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 446.38 gm

Calcium 8.98 % Ca 12.56 % CaO

Aluminum 12.09 % Al 22.84 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 18.88 % Si 40.38 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 2.71 % H 24.21 % H₂O

Oxygen 57.35 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaAl₂Si₃O₁₀•6(H₂O)

Environment:

A low-silica zeolite from hydrothermal solutions in low-silica rocks.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1975

Locality:

Neer Road, N of Goble, Columbia County, Oregon, USA> Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for John George Cowles (1907-1985), American amateur mineralogist and zeolite collector.

Name Pronunciation:

Cowlesite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

IMA1975-016

Cowlesite Image

Images:

Cowlesite

Comments: Milky bluish translucent botryoidal cowlesite in vug.
Location: Goble, Columbia County, Oregon, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Cowlesite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.759:1:0.815

Cell Dimensions:

a = 23.249, b = 30.629, c = 24.964, Z = 52; V = 17,776.71 Den(Calc)= 2.17

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic Space Group: P 222₁, P mmm, Pmm2

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 15.2(1), 2.964(0.35), 3.81(0.35),

Physical Properties of Cowlesite

Cleavage:

{010} Perfect

Color:

Colorless, Gray white, White.

Density:

2.14

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Habit:

Bladed - Aggregates of thin lath-like crystals (e.g. kyanite).

Habit:

Stellate - Occurs as spherical, radial aggregates radiating from a "star" like point.

Hardness:

5-5.5 - Apatite-Knife Blade

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous - Greasy

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Cowlesite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.004 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.017 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2358,KPDmeas= 0.2391,KC= 0.24
Ncalc = 1.51 - 1.52

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.505-1.513, b=1.509-1.516, g=1.509-1.518, bire=0.0040-0.0050

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Cowlesite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.19 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Cowlesite =2.14 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0092153401
Boson Index = 0.9907846599

Photoelectric:

PE_Cowlesite= 2.22 barns/electron
U=PE_Cowlesite x rElectron Density= 4.85 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Cowlesite Classification

Dana Class:

77.01.05.08 (77)Tectosilicate Zeolite group

(77.01)true zeolites

(77.01.05)Natrolite and related species

77.01.05.01 Natrolite Na2[Al2Si3O10]•2(H2O) F dd2 mm2

77.01.05.02 Tetranatrolite? Na2[Al2Si3O10]•2(H2O) I 42d 4 2m

77.01.05.03 Paranatrolite Na2[Al2Si3O10]•3(H2O) Cc m

77.01.05.04 Mesolite Na2Ca2Al6Si9O30•8(H2O) C 2 2

77.01.05.05 Scolecite CaAl2Si3O10•3(H2O) Cc m

77.01.05.06 Edingtonite BaAl2Si3O10•4(H2O) P 2₁2₁2 2 2 2

77.01.05.07 Gonnardite Na2CaAl4Si6O20•7(H2O) I 42d 4 2m

77.01.05.08 Cowlesite CaAl2Si3O10•5-6(H2O) P 222₁, P mmm, Pmm2 Ortho

77.01.05.09 Thomsonite-Ca NaCa2Al5Si5O20•6(H2O) Pncn 2/m 2/m 2/m

77.01.05.10 Thomsonite-Sr! (Sr,Ca)2Na[Al5Si5O20]•7(H2O) Pcnn 2/m 2/m 2/m

77.01.05.11 Nabesite! Na2BeSi4O10•4(H2O) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

Strunz Class:

09.GG.05 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.G - Tektosilicates with Zeolitic H2O

09.GG -Unclassified zeolites

09.GG.05 Cowlesite CaAl2Si3O10•5-6(H2O) P 222₁, P mmm, Pmm2 Ortho

Other Cowlesite 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 Cowlesite :
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 Cowlesite Specimen Label here :

Cowlesite

CaAl2Si3O10•5-6(H2O)
Dana No: 77.01.05.08 Strunz No: 09.GG.05
Locality:

Notes:

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