The Journal of Geology, May-June 1893: A Semi-Quarterly Magazone of Geology and Related SciencesVarious
Science
The Journal of Geology, May-June 1893: A Semi-Quarterly Magazone of Geology and Related Sciences
Various
Geology -- Periodicals
The group of pyroxenic minerals is represented by two monoclinic
augites. One of them exhibits a violet-gray color in thin section and
belongs to the basaltic augites; the other one becomes transparent
with a dark green color. Both form numerous phenocrysts, but the first
occurs somewhat more frequently. They occur as single crystals and are
also grown together in a zonal manner, the green one always forming the
center, the gray one the outer parts of the crystals. Hence the gray
augite is the younger. The pyroxene in the groundmass shows the same
color and properties. The pleochroism of the two minerals is as follows:
Gray augite. Green augite.
=a= Brownish-yellow Light yellowish-green
=b= } Dark gray-green
=c= } Violet-gray Dark green.
The angle of extinction, _c_: =c=, is large and, as may be seen in the
zonal crystals, it is somewhat larger in the gray pyroxene than in the
green. The extinction in sections cut approximately parallel to (010)
has been observed to be about 47 degrees (gray augite) and 41 degrees
(green augite). The two pyroxenes show in addition to the cleavage
parallel to (110) another but less distinct one parallel to (010).
Inclusions of magnetite, apatite and glass are common.
Phenocrysts of feldspar are scarce. In part they show the polysynthetic
twinning lamination of plagioclase; in part the latter is wanting
and one of the latter feldspars, which was isolated and examined for
specific gravity and optical properties, was found to be sanidine.
Phenocrysts of nepheline are more frequent than those of feldspar.
The mineral appears partly in the form of short-prismatic crystals,
partly in rounded grains. It presents distinct cleavage, parallel to
(1010) and to (0001), and the usually observed optical properties.
Isolated grains are decomposed by hydrochloric acid with the separation
of gelatinous silica; the resulting solution when evaporated gives
numerous cubes of NaCl. Inclusions are scarce; there are fluid cavities
with moving bubbles, generally arranged in rows, besides some pyroxene
crystals.
Apatite forms short and stout crystals always filled with inclusions
of liquids. The opaque ore grains, judging by their ready solubility,
belong to magnetite. The groundmass of these rocks consists essentially
of pyroxene in well-shaped prisms, lath-shaped feldspar, without
twinning lamination or in single twins according to the Carlsbad law
and nepheline. The feldspar of the groundmass in all probability is
mostly sanidine. Nepheline is abundant and occurs in well-shaped
crystals. Small patches of a colorless base occur between the
crystalline components.
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