What is cordierite made of?

Cordierite, discovered more than two centuries ago, is a naturally occurring mineral compound containing magnesium, iron, aluminum, and silicon. It’s found, among other places, near veins of tin in the mines of Southern England.

What mineral is cordierite?

Cordierite (mineralogy) or iolite (gemology) is a magnesium iron aluminium cyclosilicate. Iron is almost always present and a solid solution exists between Mg-rich cordierite and Fe-rich sekaninaite with a series formula: (Mg,Fe)2Al3(Si5AlO18) to (Fe,Mg)2Al3(Si5AlO18).

Is cordierite a Pleochroic?

Cordierite is a strongly pleochroic mineral, and its color will be noticeably different when viewed at different angles. In its most typical habit, when a transparent Cordierite specimen is viewed through one angle, it will be violet-blue to blue, and when shifted it will turn gray or yellowish.

What kind of rock is cordierite?

igneous rocks
Cordierite, also called dichroite or iolite, blue silicate mineral that occurs as crystals or grains in igneous rocks. It typically occurs in thermally altered clay-rich sediments surrounding igneous intrusions and in schists and paragneisses.

What does cordierite mean?

: a blue mineral of vitreous luster and strong dichroism that consists of a silicate of aluminum, iron, and magnesium.

What is cordierite used for?

Cordierite is a mineral with very few industrial uses. It can be used as an ingredient for making ceramic parts used in catalytic converters. However, synthetic cordierite is used instead because its supply is reliable and its properties are consistent.

What is the color of iolite?

Its pleochroic colors differ with its bodycolor. Iolites that appear violet display light violet, dark violet, and yellow-brown pleochroic colors. Bluish iolites display colorless to yellow, blue-gray, and dark violet pleochroic colors.

How do I identify cordierite?

Cordierite can be difficult to identify if untwinned, inclusion free, and unaltered. It can be clear with birefringence equivalent to quartz and plagioclase. When twinned, the twins may be distinctive truncating polysyntheitc twins, but may also appear very much like typical plagioclase twins.

How do you identify Iolite?

A valuable piece of Iolite will have a soft, saturated violet-blue color. Less valuable gems have a faded purple color, and at the lowest end of the scale, Iolite can be nearly white or transparent. The color of Iolite is considered to be quite soft compared to other blue gemstones such as Sapphires.

Is iolite and Lolite the same?

As nouns the difference between iolite and lolite is that iolite is (gemology) the clear variety of cordierite while lolite is .

How do you identify iolite?

What is the hardness of cordierite?

7 – 7.5
Cordierite/Hardness (Mohs hardness scale)

Which is the correct chemical formula for Cordierite?

General Cordierite Information Chemical Formula: Mg2Al4Si5O18 Composition: Molecular Weight = 584.95 gm Magnesium 8.31 % Mg 13.78 % MgO Aluminum 18.45 % Al 34.86 % Al2O3 Silicon 24.01 % Si 51.36 % SiO2 Oxygen 49.23 % O 100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE Empirical Formula: Mg2Al4Si5O18 Environment:

What kind of minerals are found in cordierite rocks?

Chemical Formula: Mg2Al4Si5O18 Composition: Molecular Weight = 584.95 gm Magnesium 8.31 % Mg 13.78 % MgO Aluminum 18.45 % Al 34.86 % Al2O3 Silicon 24.01 % Si 51.36 % SiO2 Oxygen 49.23 % O 100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE Empirical Formula: Mg2Al4Si5O18 Environment: Magmatic, metamorphic, and pegmatitic rocks.

What are the dimensions of a cordierite Crystal?

Cordierite Crystallography Axial Ratios: a:b:c =1.7479:1:0.954 Cell Dimensions: a = 17.13, b = 9.8, c = 9.35, Z = 4; V = 1,569.62 Den(Calc)= 2.48 Crystal System: Orthorhombic – DipyramidalH-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: C ccm X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 3.13(1), 8.45(0.8), 8.54(0.8), Crystal Structure: Mouse

How are sekaninaite and cordierite the same mineral?

Cordierite forms a solid solution series with the rare mineral Sekaninaite. Cordierite is the magnesium-rich end member, and Sekaninaite is the iron-rich end member. Pure Cordierite without any iron present is not common. Cordierite often is replaced by other minerals, especially phyllosilicates such as micas, Chlorite, and Talc.