Hypersthene Mineral Data

General Hypersthene Information

Chemical Formula:

(Mg,Fe++)2Si2O6

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 232.32 gm

Magnesium 10.46 % Mg 17.35 % MgO

Iron 24.04 % Fe 30.93 % FeO

Silicon 24.18 % Si 51.73 % SiO₂

Oxygen 41.32 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

MgFe²⁺Si₂O₆

Environment:

Minerals of basic igneous rocks and meteorites. Intermediate in composition between enstatite and ferrosilite

IMA Status:

Discredited IMA 1988 - Valid Species (Pre-IMA)

Locality:

Dark plutonic rocks of the Adirondack Mountain region of New York, especially the North Creek garnet occurrences. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From in the Greek hyper - "above" and stenos - "power."

Synonym:

Bronzite

Hypersthene Image

Images:

Hypersthene Almandine

Comments: Dark green blocky crystals hypersthene with reddish almandine.
Location: Barton Garnet Mine, North Creek, Warren County, Adirondacks, New York, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Hypersthene Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =2.0611:1:0.5889

Cell Dimensions:

a = 18.2, b = 8.83, c = 5.2, Z = 8; V = 835.67 Den(Calc)= 3.69

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal H-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m)

Physical Properties of Hypersthene

Cleavage:

{100} Perfect, {010} Perfect

Color:

Grayish white, Greenish white, Yellowish white, Bronzy brown, Grayish black.

Density:

3.2 - 3.9, Average = 3.55

Diaphaneity:

Translucent to transparent

Fracture:

Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern.

Habit:

Crystalline - Coarse - Occurs as well-formed coarse sized crystals.

Habit:

Massive - Granular - Common texture observed in granite and other igneous rock.

Hardness:

5.5-6 - Knife Blade-Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous - Silky

Streak:

grayish greenish white

Optical Properties of Hypersthene

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.011 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.028 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1949,KPDmeas= 0.2025,KC= 0.2004
Ncalc = 1.64 - 1.78

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.669-1.755, b=1.674-1.763, g=1.68-1.773, bire=0.0110-0.0180, 2V(Calc)=86, 2V(Meas)=70-90. Dispersion weak, r < v.

Pleochroism (x):

pink, brownish pink, pale yellow, pale red, or colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

pinkish yellow, greenish yellow, yellow, light green, or colorless.

Calculated Properties of Hypersthene

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.48 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Hypersthene =3.55 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.02
Boson Index = 0.98

Photoelectric:

PE_Hypersthene= 8.29 barns/electron
U=PE_Hypersthene x rElectron Density= 28.88 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Hypersthene Classification

Dana Class:

65.00.00.00 (65)Inosilicate Minerals

(65.00)Without Dana Classification Numbers

(65.00.00)Pyroxenes, Ortho

65.00.00.00 Ashcroftine-(Ce)* K5Na5(Ce,Ca)12Si28O70(OH)2(CO3)8•8(H2O) I 4/mmm 4/m 2/m 2/m

65.00.00.00 Brokenhillite* (Mn,Fe)32[Si24O60]OH29Cl11 P 6₃mc 6mm

65.00.00.00 Grossmanite CaTiAlSiO6 C 2/m 2/m

65.00.00.00 Hypersthene? (Mg,Fe)2Si2O6 2/m 2/m 2/m

65.00.00.00 IMA2007-015 K(CaNa)(Fe3Al2)(Si6Al2)O22(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

65.00.00.00 IMA2008-070 NaLi2(Fe2Al2Li)(Si6Al2)O22F2 C 2/m 2/m

65.00.00.00 IMA2009-010 [Ba6(PO4)2(CO3)][Fe7(OH)4Fe2O2(SiO3)8] P1 1

65.00.00.00 IMA2009-012 NaNa2(Mg2Al2Li)Si8O22F2 C 2/m 2/m

65.00.00.00 Kushiroite CaAl2SiO6 C 2/c 2/m

65.00.00.00 Plumalsite* Pb4Al2(SiO3)7(?) Unk Ortho

Strunz Class:

09.DX.00 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.D - Unclassified Strunz Inosilicates

09.DX -Pyroxenes, Ortho

09.DX.00 Hypersthene? (Mg,Fe)2Si2O6 2/m 2/m 2/m

09.DX.00 Plumalsite* Pb4Al2(SiO3)7(?) Unk Ortho

09.DX.00 IMA2008-070 NaLi2(Fe2Al2Li)(Si6Al2)O22F2 C 2/m 2/m

09.DX.00 IMA2007-015 K(CaNa)(Fe3Al2)(Si6Al2)O22(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.DX.00 Tanohataite! LiMn2Si3O8(OH) P1 1

09.DX.00 Punkaruaivite! Li{Ti2(OH)2[Si4O11(OH)]}•H2O C 2/c 2/m

09.DX.00 Yegorovite! Na4[Si2O4(OH)2]2•7H2O P 2₁/c 2/m

09.DX.00 Kushiroite CaAl2SiO6 C 2/c 2/m

09.DX.00 Grossmanite CaTiAlSiO6 C 2/m 2/m

09.DX.00 IMA2009-009 KNa2Li(Mg,Fe)2Ti2Si8O24 C 2/m 2/m

09.DX.00 IMA2009-010 [Ba6(PO4)2(CO3)][Fe7(OH)4Fe2O2(SiO3)8] P1 1

09.DX.00 IMA2009-012 NaNa2(Mg2Al2Li)Si8O22F2 C 2/m 2/m

Other Hypersthene Information

See Also:

Links to other databases for Hypersthene :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - GeoScienceWorld
5 - Google Images
6 - Google Scholar
7 - MinDAT
8 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
9 - Minerals in Thin Section-University of North Carolina
10 - Online Mineral Museum
11 - QUT Mineral Atlas
12 - Ruff.Info
13 - UCLA - Petrography Thin-Sections
14 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Hypersthene using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Hypersthene :

Ask about Hypersthene here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Hypersthene Specimen Label here :

Hypersthene

(Mg,Fe++)2Si2O6
Dana No: 65.00.00.00 Strunz No: 09.DX.00
Locality:

Notes:

Dakota Matrix
Excalibur Minerals
Exceptional Minerals
Hudson Insitute
John Betts Fine Minerals
Mc Dougall Minerals
Mineral News
Rock and Mineral Shows
Weinrich Minerals, Inc.