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Lepidolite

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Big Photo

Himalaya Mine (Himalaya dikes; Himalaya pegmatite), Gem Hill, Mesa Grande District, San Diego Co., California, USA
© Eric Graff

Show Lepidolite Photos (273)



Colour:Pink, light purple, ...Hardness:2½ - 3½
Member of:Mica Group
Name:Named in 1792 by Martin Klaproth from the Greek words Lepidos for "scale" and Lithos for "stone".


A mineral in the so-called Polylithionite-Trilithionite series.

The original lepidolite came from Rožná pegmatite, Žďár nad Sázavou, Vysočina Region, Moravia (Mähren; Maehren), Czech Republic.

Classification of Lepidolite

IMA status:Redefined Approved
mindat.org URL:http://www.mindat.org/min-2380.html
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Occurrences of Lepidolite

Geological Setting:May be found in aplites associated with granite pegmatite. rarely found in hydrothermal veins and extremely rarely in granite contact zones.

Physical Properties of Lepidolite

Lustre:Sub-Vitreous, Resinous, Greasy, Pearly
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Transparent, Translucent
Colour:Pink, light purple, light rose red, other colors possible but are rare.
Comment:Ideally colorless, but frequently occurs in manganese-bearing environments
Streak:white
Hardness (Mohs):2½ - 3½
Tenacity:Elastic
Cleavage:Perfect
{001} perfect
Fracture:Micaceous
Density (measured):2.8 - 2.9 g/cm3
Density (calculated):2.83 g/cm3
Comment:Calculated densities for various polytypes to 3.11
X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
Image Loading

Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Horizontal Axis: ° to ° Vertical Axis: % Source Data: Filtered Data:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Relationship of Lepidolite to other Species

Member of:Mica Group
Other Members of Group:

- +
Aluminoceladonite
K(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)Al(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Anandite
(Ba,K)(Fe
2+
 
,Mg)
 
3
((Si,Al,Fe)
 
4
O
 
10
)(S,OH)
 
2
Aspidolite
NaMg
 
3
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Biotite
Bityite
LiCaAl
 
2
(AlBeSi
 
2
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Boromuscovite
KAl
 
2
(BSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Celadonite
K(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)Fe
3+
 
(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Chernykhite
(Ba,Na)(V
3+
 
,Al,Mg)
 
2
((Si,Al)
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Chromceladonite
K(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)(Cr,Al)(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Chromphyllite
K(Cr,Al)
 
2
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH,F)
 
2
Clintonite
Ca(Mg,Al)
 
3
(Al
 
3
SiO
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Ephesite
LiNaAl
 
2
(Al
 
2
Si
 
2
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Ferro-aluminoceladonite
K(Fe
2+
 
,Mg)(Al,Fe
3+
 
)(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Ferroceladonite
K(Fe
2+
 
,Mg)(Fe
3+
 
,Al)(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Ferrokinoshitalite
(Ba,K)(Fe
2+
 
,Mg)
 
3
(Al
 
2
Si
 
2
O
 
10
)(OH,F)
 
2
Ganterite
(Ba,Na,K)(Al,Mg)
 
2
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Glauconite
(K,Na)(Fe
3+
 
,Al,Mg)
 
2
((Si,Al)
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Hendricksite
K(Zn,Mg,Mn
2+
 
)
 
3
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Illite
K
 
0.65
Al
 
2.0
[ ][Al
 
0.65
Si
 
3.35
O
 
10
](OH)
 
2
Kinoshitalite
(Ba,K)(Mg,Mn
2+
 
,Al)
 
3
(Al
 
2
Si
 
2
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Margarite
CaAl
 
2
(Al
 
2
Si
 
2
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Masutomilite
(K,Rb)(Li,Mn
3+
 
,Al)
 
3
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(F,OH)
 
2
Montdorite
(K,Na)
 
2
(Fe
2+
 
,Mn
2+
 
,Mg)
 
5
(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)
 
2
(OH,F)
 
4
Muscovite
KAl
 
2
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Nanpingite
CsAl
 
2
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH,F)
 
2
Norrishite
KLiMn
2+
2
(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Oxykinoshitalite
(Ba,K)(Mg,Ti,Fe
3+
 
,Fe
2+
 
)
 
3
((Si,Al)
 
4
O
 
10
)(O,OH,F)
 
2
Oxyphlogopite
KMg
 
2
Ti(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)O
 
2
Phengite
Polylithionite
KLi
 
2
Al(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)(F,OH)
 
2
Preiswerkite
NaMg
 
2
Al(Al
 
2
Si
 
2
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Roscoelite
K(V
3+
 
,Al)
 
2
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Shirokshinite
KNaMg
 
2
(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)F
 
2
Shirozulite
K(Mn
2+
 
,Mg)
 
3
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Sokolovaite
CsLi
 
2
Al(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)F
 
2
Suhailite
(NH
 
4
)Fe
2+
3
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Tainiolite
KLiMg
 
2
(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)F
 
2
Tetraferriphlogopite
KMg
 
3
(Fe
3+
 
Si
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH,F)
 
2
Tobelite
(NH
 
4
,K)Al
 
2
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(OH)
 
2
Trilithionite
K(Li,Al)
 
3
(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(F,OH)
 
2
Voloshinite
Rb(LiAl
 
1.5
□
 
1.5
)(Al
 
0.5
Si
 
3.5
)O
 
10
F
 
2
Yangzhumingite
KMg
 
2.5
(Si
 
4
O
 
10
)F
 
2
Zinnwaldite
KLiFe
2+
 
Al(AlSi
 
3
O
 
10
)(F,OH)
 
2
Common Associates:
TourmalineSpodumeneQuartzPetaliteMuscovite
Microlite GroupMicroclineCleavelanditeCassiterite

Other Names for Lepidolite

Synonyms:
Flower SugiliteLavenderineLilaliteLilianthiteLithia Mica
LithionglimmerLithionite
Other Languages:
Catalan:Lepidolita
Dutch:Lepidoliet
Finnish:Lepidoliitti
Galician:Lepidolita
German:Lepidolit
Lepidolith
Lilalit
Lilianthit
Lithionit
Hungarian:Lepidolit
Italian:Lepidolite
Japanese:リチア雲母
Polish:Lepidolit
Portuguese:Lepidolite
Russian:Лепидолит
Simplified Chinese:锂云母
Spanish:Lepidolita
Lilalita
Lilianthita
Lithionita
Turkish:Lepidolit
Varieties:
Cs-rich LepidolitePurple JadeRb-rich Lepidolite

Other Information

Fluorescence in UV light:Frequently fluoresces medium intensity of creamy white to pale yellow. Sometimes yellow.
Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Industrial Uses:Ore of lithium, cesium, and rubidium.

References for Lepidolite

Reference List:

- +
Schaller, Waldemar Theodore (1905), Crystallography of lepidolite: American Journal of Science, 4th. Series: 19: 225-226.

Stevens, Rollin Elbert (1938), New analyses of lepidolites and their interpretation: American Mineralogist: 23: 607-628.

Mineralogical Record (1989): 20: 109.

Canadian Mineralogist (1998): 36: 905-912.

Mineralogical Magazine (1999): 63: 267-279.

Kogure, T. and Bunno, M. (2004) Investigation of polytypes in lepidolite using electron back-scattered diffraction. American Mineralogist: 89: 1680-1684.

Mindat.org articles about Lepidolite

Article entries:
Biography of Don Tomás Alvarado 1890Scott L. Ritchie

Internet Links for Lepidolite

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    • Localities for Lepidolite

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    Locality Updated: Unnamed Au occurrence (12), La Porte, La Porte District, Plumas Co., California, USAFrom Chester S. Lemanski, Jr., 4th Feb 2012 00:22:53