Wavellite Mineral Data

General Wavellite Information

Chemical Formula:

Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3•5(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 421.48 gm

Aluminum 19.20 % Al 36.29 % Al₂O₃

Phosphorus 14.70 % P 33.68 % P₂O₅

Hydrogen 3.11 % H 27.78 % H₂O

Oxygen 60.74 % O

Fluorine 2.25 % F 2.25 % F

- % F -0.95 % -O=F₂

______ ______

100.00 % 99.05 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Al₃(PO₄)₂(OH)₃F_0.5•5(H₂O)

Environment:

Secondary mineral common in aluminous low-grade metamorphic rocks and phosphate rocks.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1805

Locality:

High Down quarry, Barnstaple, Devonshire, England. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after William Wavell (?-1829) of England who discovered the mineral.

Name Pronunciation:

Wavellite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

Coeruleolactite - mixture of planerite + variscite + wavellite

ICSD 26816

PDF 41-1360

Wavellite Image

Images:

Wavellite

Comments: Greenish yellow spray of wavellite crystals.
Location: Slate Mountains, El Dorado County, California, USA. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

Images:

Wavellite

Comments: Green prismatic crystals of wavellite in complete radial stellar aggregate.
Location: Flinders Range, South Australia, Australia. Scale: Sphere size 8 mm.
© Tom Loomis / Dakota Matrix

Wavellite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.8795:1:0.4029

Cell Dimensions:

a = 15.25, b = 17.338, c = 6.986, Z = 6; V = 1,847.13 Den(Calc)= 2.27

Crystal System:

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

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 8.42(1), 8.67(1), 3.22(0.6),

Forms:

Mouse
Dbl Clk - Start-Stop Rotation
RMB - Cycle Display Modes
Drag1 - Manipulate Crystal
Drag2 - Resize
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S - Stereo
I - Indicies
<space> - Start-Stop Rotation
F - Fit to Screen
M - Menu
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Forms: ( 0 1 0) ( 1 1 0) ( 1 0 1) ( 1 0 0)

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Physical Properties of Wavellite

Cleavage:

{110} Perfect, {101} Good

Color:

Blue, Brown, Brownish black, Colorless, Green.

Density:

2.3 - 2.4, Average = 2.34

Diaphaneity:

Translucent

Fracture:

Fibrous - Thin, elongated fractures produced by crystal forms or intersecting cleavages (e.g. asbestos).

Habit:

Radial - Crystals radiate from a center without producing stellar forms (e.g. stibnite)

Habit:

Stalactitic - Shaped like pendant columns as stalactites or stalagmites (e.g. calcite).

Habit:

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

Hardness:

3.5-4 - Copper Penny-Fluorite

Luminescence:

Fluorescent, Short UV=yellow sky blue, Long UV=yellow strong sky blue.

Luster:

Vitreous - Pearly

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Wavellite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.014 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.021 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2372,KPDmeas= 0.2291,KC= 0.2323
Ncalc = 1.53 - 1.56

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.52-1.535, b=1.526-1.543, g=1.545-1.561, bire=0.0250-0.0260, 2V(Calc)=60-70, 2V(Meas)=72. Dispersion none.

Pleochroism (x):

bluish green or green.

Pleochroism (y):

pale yellow or colorless.

Calculated Properties of Wavellite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.39 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Wavellite =2.35 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0002961929
Boson Index = 0.9997038071

Photoelectric:

PE_Wavellite= 1.34 barns/electron
U=PE_Wavellite x rElectron Density= 3.22 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Wavellite Classification

Dana Class:

42.10.02.01 (42)Hydrated Phosphates, etc., Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen

(42.10)where (AB)3 (XO4)2 Zq ï¿½ x(H2O)

(42.10.02)Wavellite Group

42.10.02.01 Wavellite Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3•5(H2O) Pcmn 2/m 2/m 2/m

42.10.02.02 Allanpringite! Fe3(PO4)2(OH)3•5H2O P 2₁/n pseudo-ortho 2/m

Strunz Class:

08.DC.50 08 - PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES

08.D - Phosphates, etc

08.DC -With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 = 1:1 and < 2:1

08.DC.50 Wavellite Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3•5(H2O) Pcmn 2/m 2/m 2/m

08.DC.50 Allanpringite! Fe3(PO4)2(OH)3•5H2O P 2₁/n pseudo-ortho 2/m

Other Wavellite Information

References:

NAME( Sinkankas66) PHYS. PROP.(Collectors Book of Fluorescent Minerals) OPTIC PROP.(Sinkankas66)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Wavellite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - EUROmin Project
5 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
6 - GeoScienceWorld
7 - Glendale Community College
8 - Google Images
9 - Google Scholar
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
11 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
12 - MinDAT
13 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
14 - Online Mineral Museum
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info
17 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
18 - WWW-MINCRYST
19 - YupRocks
20 - theimage

Search for Wavellite using:

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Ask about Wavellite 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 Wavellite Specimen Label here :

Wavellite

Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3•5(H2O)
Dana No: 42.10.02.01 Strunz No: 08.DC.50
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.