Secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of complex granite pegmatites, replacing primary phosphate minerals, principally triphylite.Forms a series with the Mn+++ end-member Purpurite .
IMA Status:
Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1826
Locality:
Palermo #1 mine, New Hampshire, USA. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Name Origin:
From the Greek for another, probably because it was the second manganese-bearing species described from the type locality.
Brownish black, Violet brown, Greenish brown, Dark brown, Dark pink.
Density:
3.409
Diaphaneity:
Subtranslucent to Opaque
Fracture:
Brittle - Uneven - Very brittle fracture producing uneven fragments.
Hardness:
4-4.5 - Between Fluorite and Apatite
Luster:
Silky
Streak:
brown red
Optical Properties of Heterosite
Gladstone-Dale:
CI meas= -0.029 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC) CI calc= 0.042 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2423,KPDmeas= 0.2601,KC= 0.2529 Ncalc = 1.86 - 1.93
Optical Data:
Biaxial (+), a=1.86, b=1.89, g=1.91, bire=0.0500
Calculated Properties of Heterosite
Electron Density:
Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.30 gm/cc note: Specific Gravity of Heterosite =3.41 gm/cc.
Fermion Index:
Fermion Index = 0.008053895 Boson Index = 0.991946105
Photoelectric:
PEHeterosite = 12.13 barns/electron U=PEHeterosite x rElectron Density= 40.03 barns/cc.
Radioactivity:
GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units) Heterosite is Not Radioactive
Chemical Formula: 
