Paragonite Mineral Data

General Paragonite Information

Chemical Formula:

NaAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 382.20 gm

Sodium 6.02 % Na 8.11 % Na₂O

Aluminum 21.18 % Al 40.02 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 22.05 % Si 47.16 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 0.53 % H 4.71 % H₂O

Oxygen 50.23 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

NaAl₃Si₃O₁₀(OH)₂

Environment:

Metamorphic mineral formed in schists and gneisses under a broad range of P-T conditions. Commonly mistaken for "sericite".

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1843

Locality:

Mte. Campione, Tessin, Switzerland. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named from the Greek for "to mislead", in allusion to its originally having been mistaken for talc.

Name Pronunciation:

Paragonite + Pronunciation

Paragonite Image

Images:

Chloritoid Paragonite

Comments: Grayish crystalline inclusion of chloritoid in white, massive paragonite.
Location: Drandorf Fundgrube Mine, Bockau, Schwarzenberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany. Scale: Picture size 4 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

Paragonite

Comments: Silvery micaceous paragonite comprising schist rock, with garnet crystals.
Location: Gassettts, New Hampshire, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Paragonite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.577:1:2.1732

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.13, b = 8.89, c = 19.32, Z = 4; beta = 95° V = 877.75 Den(Calc)= 2.89

Crystal System:

Monoclinic Space Group: C 2/c,Cc

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.522(1), 4.39(0.9), 3.203(0.8),

Physical Properties of Paragonite

Cleavage:

{001} Perfect

Color:

White, Yellow.

Density:

2.78

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent

Habit:

Massive - Fibrous - Distinctly fibrous fine-grained forms.

Habit:

Scaly - Morphology like fish scales.

Hardness:

2.5 - Finger Nail

Luster:

Pearly

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Paragonite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.004 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.034 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2051,KPDmeas= 0.2132,KC= 0.2124
Ncalc = 1.59 - 1.61

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.564-1.58, b=1.594-1.609, g=1.6-1.609, bire=0.0290-0.0360, 2V(Calc)=0-46, 2V(Meas)=0-40.

Calculated Properties of Paragonite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.76 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Paragonite =2.78 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99

Photoelectric:

PE_Paragonite= 1.57 barns/electron
U=PE_Paragonite x rElectron Density= 4.34 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Paragonite Classification

Dana Class:

71.02.02a.02 (71)Phyllosilicate Sheets of Six-Membered Rings

(71.02)with 2:1 Layers

(71.02.02a)Mica Group (Muscovite subgroup)

71.02.02a.01 Muscovite KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.02 Paragonite NaAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2 C 2/c,Cc Mono

71.02.02a.03 Chernykhite (Ba,Na)V,Al)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

71.02.02a.04 Roscoelite K(V,Al,Mg)2AlSi3O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.05 Glauconite (K,Na)(Fe,Al,Mg)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.06 Celadonite K(Mg,Fe)(Fe,Al)[Si4O10](OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.06b Ferroceladonite! K2FeFeSi8O20(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.06c Ferroaluminoceladonite! K2Fe2Al2Si8O20(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.06d Aluminoceladonite! KAl(Mg,Fe)[]Si4O10(OH)2 2/m

71.02.02a.06e Chromceladonite! KCrMg(Si4O10)(OH)2 C 2 2

71.02.02a.07 Tobelite (NH4,K)Al2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.08 Nanpingite Cs(Al,Mg,Fe,Li)2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/c 2/m

71.02.02a.09 Boromuscovite KAl2(Si3B)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/m 2/m

71.02.02a.10 Montdorite (K,Na)(Fe,Mn,Mg)2.5[Si4O10](F,OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

71.02.02a.11 Chromphyllite! (K,Ba)(Cr,Al)2[AlSi3O10](OH,F)2 C 2c 2/m

71.02.02a.12 Shirokshinite! K(NaMg2)Si4O10F2 C 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.EC.15 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.E - Phyllosilicates

09.EC -Phyllosilicates with mica sheets, composed of tetrahedral and octahedral nets

09.EC.15 Boromuscovite KAl2(Si3B)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Celadonite K(Mg,Fe)(Fe,Al)[Si4O10](OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Chernykhite (Ba,Na)V,Al)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

09.EC.15 Chromphyllite! (K,Ba)(Cr,Al)2[AlSi3O10](OH,F)2 C 2c 2/m

09.EC.15 Glauconite (K,Na)(Fe,Al,Mg)2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Aluminoceladonite! KAl(Mg,Fe)[]Si4O10(OH)2 2/m

09.EC.15 Ferroaluminoceladonite! K2Fe2Al2Si8O20(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Ferroceladonite! K2FeFeSi8O20(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Montdorite (K,Na)(Fe,Mn,Mg)2.5[Si4O10](F,OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

09.EC.15 Nanpingite Cs(Al,Mg,Fe,Li)2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/c 2/m

09.EC.15 Tobelite (NH4,K)Al2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Roscoelite K(V,Al,Mg)2AlSi3O10(OH)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Muscovite KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH,F)2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Paragonite NaAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2 C 2/c,Cc Mono

09.EC.15 Tainiolite KLiMg2Si4O10F2 C 2/m 2/m

09.EC.15 Chromceladonite! KCrMg(Si4O10)(OH)2 C 2 2

09.EC.15 Ganterite! [Ba0.5(Na,K)0.5]Al2(Si2.5Al1.5O10)(OH)2 C 2/c 2/m

Other Paragonite 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 Paragonite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - GeoScienceWorld
4 - Google Images
5 - Google Scholar
6 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
7 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
8 - MinDAT
9 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
10 - Online Mineral Museum
11 - QUT Mineral Atlas
12 - Ruff.Info
13 - UCLA - Petrography Thin-Sections
14 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Paragonite using:

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

Visit our Advertisers for Paragonite :

Ask about Paragonite 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 Paragonite Specimen Label here :

Paragonite

NaAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2
Dana No: 71.02.02a.02 Strunz No: 09.EC.15
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.