Field book of common rocks and minerals : $b for identifying the rocks and minerals of the United States and interpreting their origins and meaningsLoomis, Frederic Brewster
Science
Field book of common rocks and minerals : $b for identifying the rocks and minerals of the United States and interpreting their origins and meanings
Loomis, Frederic Brewster
Minerals -- United States; Rocks -- United States
Usually found in cleavable masses in granites and lavas; hardness, 6;
specific gravity, 2.71; color gray or white, often with a play of
colors; luster vitreous; translucent on thin edges.
Labradorite is distinguished by having the two perfect cleavage planes
meet at 86° 14′. The iridescent play of color is also very
characteristic and is generally present. It is due to the inclusion of
minute impurities. This feldspar is usually associated with granites or
lavas in which the dark minerals predominate. It gets its name from
being the feldspar of the granites of Labrador, and is also found in the
granites of the central part of the Adirondack Mountains and the Wichita
Mountains of Arkansas.
The Pyroxene Group
The minerals of this group are generally associated with feldspars, and
make the dark-colored component of granites, gneisses and lavas. This is
especially true of those which have some iron in the crystal. Pyroxenes
are salts of metasilicic acid (H₂SiO₃), in which the hydrogen (H) has
been replaced by calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. The commoner minerals
are orthorhombic or monoclinic, and all agree in their crystal habit,
being short stout prisms, with the vertical edges so beveled that a
cross section is eight-sided. The cleavage is good in two directions,
parallel to the beveling faces (m in figure b, Plate 36), and they
intersect at an angle of 87°. This is very characteristic, and if one
has a crystal broken across, it is easy to see and measure this angle of
intersection. These pyroxenes have the same chemical composition as the
corresponding series of amphiboles, but the two are distinguished by
several features. Pyroxenes are short and stout crystals, while
amphiboles are long and either blade- or needle-like; pyroxenes are
eight-sided in cross section, while amphiboles are six-sided; in
pyroxenes the cleavage planes intersect at 87°, while in amphiboles they
intersect at 55°. The minerals of this group are most frequently one of
the components of a lava or granite, and are less frequently associated
with metamorphic rocks. Three are common; enstatite, hypersthene, and
augite.
Enstatite
MgSiO₃
Usually occurs in lamellar or fibrous-lamellar masses in dark lavas;
hardness, 5.5; specific gravity, 3.3; color gray, bronze or brown;
luster vitreous, translucent on thin edges.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account