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Chondrodite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  (Mg,Fe²⁺)₅[(F,OH)₂|(SiO₄)₂]

Discovered in 1817;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
The name Chondrodite is from the Greek word chondros for a grain referring to the minerals's small, granular nature.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/B.04-20

8 : Silicates
B : Nesosubsilicates, with anions unfamiliar to tetraheders, cations of octahedral and tetrahedral orientation [4/6]
04 : Humite group

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

Crystals rare, varied in habit, typically flattened, to 10 cm. Commonly as rounded grains, massive.

Twinning:

Common, simple and lamellar

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[100] Good

Fracture:

Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

6.0 - 6.5

Density:

3.1 - 3.2 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Yellow, Orange, Brownish white, Reddish white, Greenish white

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Vitreous to Resinous

Refractive Index:

1.592 - 1.675  Biaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.027 - 0.032

Dispersion:

Weak to moderate; r > v

Pleochroism:

X = colorless, very pale yellow, brownish yellow; Y = colorless, yellow-green; Z = colorless, pale green

Occurances

Geological Setting:

In contact metamorphic zones, in limestones and dolostones, associated with felsic to alkalic plutonic rocks, especially with Fe-B-F metasomatism; in a carbonatite.

Type Locality:

Monte Somma, Somma-Vesuvius Complex, Naples Province, Campania, Italy

Year Discovered:

1817

View mineral photos:

Chondrodite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Chondrodite is a member of the Humite Group of minerals that includes Clinohumite, Humite and Norbergite. Faceted Chondrodite is extremely rare. Faceted gems are a beautiful, deep red to deep orangish red. There are several sources of Chondrodite around the world, but only a few produce facetable crystals. One source of small gemmy crystals is the Tilly Foster Mine in Brewster, New York. Other sources are Badakhshan (Badakshan; Badahsan) Province, Afghanistan; Palabora mine, Loolekop, Phalaborwa, Limpopo Province, South Africa; and Mogok, Sagaing District, Mandalay Division, Myanmar (Burma).
 

  
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