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Mineral

Elbaite

Silicate Minerals

Elbaite, a sodium, lithium, aluminium boro-silicate, is a mineral species belonging to the six-member ring cyclosilicate tourmaline group. It forms three series, with dravite, with fluor-liddicoatite and with schorl. As a gemstone it is a desirable member of the tourmaline group because of the variety and depth of its colours and the quality of its crystals. It was originally discovered on the island of Elba, Italy, in 1913, and forms in igneous and metamorphic rocks and veins, in granite pegmatites in association with lepidolite, microcline and spodumene. In this atlas it is the mineral species behind the gem tourmalines.

Elbaite, a sodium, lithium, aluminium boro-silicate, is a mineral species belonging to the six-member ring cyclosilicate tourmaline group. It forms three series, with dravite, with fluor-liddicoatite and with schorl. As a gemstone it is a desirable member of the tourmaline group because of the variety and depth of its colours and the quality of its crystals. It was originally discovered on the island of Elba, Italy, in 1913, and forms in igneous and metamorphic rocks and veins, in granite pegmatites in association with lepidolite, microcline and spodumene. In this atlas it is the mineral species behind the gem tourmalines.

Facts
Chemical Formula
Na(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6Si6O18(BO3)3(OH)4 1
Chemical Formula
Na(Li1.5Al1.5)Al6Si6O18(BO3)3(OH)4 1
Hardness (Mohs)
7.5 1
Hardness (Mohs)
7.5 1
Colour
Colourless or White 2
Colour
Colourless or White 2
Colour
Grey or Black 2
Colour
Grey or Black 2
Colour
Brown 2
Colour
Brown 2
Colour
Red or Pink 2
Colour
Red or Pink 2
Colour
Orange or Yellow 2
Colour
Orange or Yellow 2
Colour
Green 2
Colour
Green 2
Colour
Blue or Purple 2
Colour
Blue or Purple 2
Lustre
Vitreous 2
Lustre
Vitreous 2
Classification
Strunz Class
Silicates 1
Strunz Class
Silicates 1
Crystal System
Trigonal (Rhombohedral) 1
Crystal System
Trigonal (Rhombohedral) 1
Use
Gemstone 1
Use
Gemstone 1
Connections

Caused By

Source Elbaite (Wikipedia)
Source Elbaite (Wikipedia)

Crystallizes In System

In Discipline

In the Other Atlases

Mineral Species Of

Also in Divinity Atlas: of this mineral species.

Also in Divinity Atlas: of this mineral species.

Sources
1. Elbaite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Elbaite, lead paragraph
    is a mineral species belonging to the six-member ring cyclosilicate tourmaline group
  • Elbaite, article text
    As a gemstone, elbaite is a desirable member of the tourmaline group because of the variety and depth of its colours and quality of the crystals.
View the Source
2. minerals.net: Elbaite
minerals.net
  • Color field
    Elbaite is one of the most varied minerals in terms of color. Colors include green, red, pink and blue. White, colorless, black, brown, yellow, orange, and purple colors are less common. Crystals are frequently multicolored, containing two or more distinct colors. Some specimens are pleochroic.
  • Luster field
    Vitreous
View the Source
Elbaite (Wikipedia)
  • Caused By: Fractional Crystallization, Lead
    Elbaite forms in igneous and metamorphic rocks and veins in association with lepidolite, microcline, and spodumene in granite pegmatites; with andalusite and biotite in schist; and with molybdenite and cassiterite in massive hydrothermal replacement deposits.
  • Caused By: Hydrothermal Mineral Deposition, Lead
    Elbaite forms in igneous and metamorphic rocks and veins in association with lepidolite, microcline, and spodumene in granite pegmatites; with andalusite and biotite in schist; and with molybdenite and cassiterite in massive hydrothermal replacement deposits.
View the Source
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