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Stellerite
Stellerite

Stellerite

Stellerite

A species of Minerals

Stellerite is a rare mineral discovered by and named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a German explorer and zoologist. The mineral has a general formula of Ca[Al2Si7O18]·7H2O. Like most rare minerals, there are few commercial uses for stellerite. Mineral collectors are lucky to find it in good enough crystal form. Zeolites, including stellerite, have been studied using a dehydration process to gauge the potential use of their phases as molecular sieves, sorbents, and catalysts.

Hardness
Hardness:

4.5

Density
Density:

2.12 g/cm³

General Info About Stellerite

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Physical Properties of Stellerite

Colors
Colourless to white, pink, orange
Hardness
4.5 , Soft
Density
2.12 g/cm³, Obviously Light Weight
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Chemical Properties of Stellerite

Idealised Formula
Ca(Si7Al2)O18 · 7H2O
Formula
Ca4(Si28Al8)O72 · 28H2O
Elements listed
Al, Ca, H, O, Si
Common Impurities
Fe,Mn,Mg,Sr,Ba,Na,K

Characteristics of Stellerite

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Characteristics of Stellerite

Stellerite is an anisotropic mineral, meaning that it has different properties in different directions-such as indices of refraction-when light passes through it. A refractive index (n) measures the speed of light in a substance—or in the case of mineralogy—in a mineral. It is expressed as a ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to that in a mineral. Stellerite has three indices of refraction because it is a biaxial mineral.

Formation of Stellerite

Stellerite lines cavities and fracture surfaces in volcanic rocks altered by hydrothermal solutions. Great examples of Stellerite are on Copper Island, Commander Islands (also discovered by Georg Steller), Bering Sea and at Klichka, Chita region, Siberia, Russia. In the United States, it is located at Ritter Hot Springs, Grant County, Oregon; on Hook Mountain, Rockland County, New York; and at Fanwood, Union County, New Jersey. Large crystals have been found in Australia around Gunnedah, New South Wales, and at Harcourt, Dookie, and Corop, Victoria.

Common Questions People Also Ask

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