Monticellite Mineral Data

General Monticellite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaMgSiO4

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 156.47 gm

Calcium 25.61 % Ca 35.84 % CaO

Magnesium 15.53 % Mg 25.76 % MgO

Silicon 17.95 % Si 38.40 % SiO₂

Oxygen 40.90 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaMgSiO₄

Environment:

Occurs in a carbonatite, a magmatic product of silica-deficient magma differentiation and rich in CO2.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1831

Locality:

Magnet Cove, Hot Spring Co., Arkansas, USA. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Teodoro Monticelli (1759-1846), Italian Mineralogist.

Name Pronunciation:

Monticellite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 79792

PDF 35-590

Monticellite Image

Images:

Monticellite

Comments: Pale brown crystalline massive monticellite.
Location: Crestmore Quarry, Riverside County, California, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Monticellite Melilite

Comments: Thin-section image of monticellite interstitial between unaltered melilite crystals (CanMin v. 41. p 1259).
Location: Skarns along the contact of a diorite intrusion at OravitÂ¸a, Banat, in Romania. Scale: Field of View 2.7 mm.
© Canadian Mineralogist

Monticellite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.4345:1:0.5749

Cell Dimensions:

a = 4.815, b = 11.08, c = 6.37, Z = 4; V = 339.84 Den(Calc)= 3.06

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal H-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: P nma

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.666(1), 2.586(0.4), 3.637(0.4),

Physical Properties of Monticellite

Cleavage:

{010} Indistinct

Color:

Colorless, Greenish gray, Gray.

Density:

3.2

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Fracture:

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

Habit:

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

Habit:

Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).

Hardness:

5 - Apatite

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Monticellite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.003 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.042 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2154,KPDmeas= 0.2059,KC= 0.2067
Ncalc = 1.63 - 1.66

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.639-1.663, b=1.645-1.674, g=1.653-1.68, bire=0.0140-0.0170, 2V(Calc)=72-84, 2V(Meas)=88-65. Dispersion relatively weak.

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Monticellite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.19 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Monticellite =3.20 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.02
Boson Index = 0.98

Photoelectric:

PE_Monticellite= 4.17 barns/electron
U=PE_Monticellite x rElectron Density= 13.31 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Monticellite Classification

Dana Class:

51.03.02.01 (51)Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups Only

(51.03)with all cations in octahedral [6] coordination

(51.03.02)Monticellite - Kirschsteinite series

51.03.02.01 Monticellite CaMgSiO4 P nma 2/m 2/m 2/m

51.03.02.02 Kirschsteinite CaFeSiO4 Pbmn 2/m 2/m 2/m

51.03.02.03 Glaucochroite CaMnSiO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.AC.10 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.A - Nesosilicates

09.AC -Nesosilicates without additional anions;

09.AC.10 Monticellite CaMgSiO4 P nma 2/m 2/m 2/m

Other Monticellite Information

References:

NAME( Ford32) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Heinrich65)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Monticellite :
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 - University of Colorado - Mineral Structure Data
16 - WWW-MINCRYST

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

Monticellite

CaMgSiO4
Dana No: 51.03.02.01 Strunz No: 09.AC.10
Locality:

Notes:

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