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Spodumene

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Harding Mine (Harding pegmatite), Picuris District, Taos Co., New Mexico, USA
© Van King

Show Spodumene Photos (135)
Formula:
LiAl[Si
 
2
O
 
6
]
System:MonoclinicColour:Colourless, yellow, ...
Lustre:Vitreous, DullHardness:6½ - 7
Name:From Greek "spodoumenos", reduced to ashes, alluding to the grayish white mass that is formed when the mineral is ignited.


Pyroxene Group - Clinopyroxene Subgroup.

Spodumene is worked as an ore of lithium, but it is most highly prized as a gem material - the varieties Kunzite (pink) and Hiddenite (green) are especially sought after. It is usually found as a constituent of lithium-rich pegmatites.

Classification of Spodumene

IMA status:Approved
Strunz 8th edition ID:8/F.01-120
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:9.DA.30

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
A : Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si2O6; pyroxene family
Dana 8th edition ID:65.1.4.1

65 : INOSILICATES Single-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=1)
1 : Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1 with chains P=2
Hey's CIM Ref.:16.1.2

16 : Silicates Containing Aluminum and other Metals
1 : Aluminosilicates of Li
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Type Occurrence of Spodumene

Type Locality:Utö Island, Haninge, Stockholm, Södermanland, Sweden
Year of Discovery:1800

Physical Properties of Spodumene

Lustre:Vitreous, Dull
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Transparent, Translucent
Colour:Colourless, yellow, light green, emerald-green, pink to violet, purple, white, gray
Streak:White
Hardness (Mohs):6½ - 7
Cleavage:Perfect
Density (measured):3.1 - 3.2 g/cm3

Crystallography of Spodumene

Crystal System:Monoclinic
Cell Parameters:a = 9.46Å, b = 8.39Å, c = 5.22Å
β = 110.17°
Ratio:a:b:c = 1.128 : 1 : 0.622
Unit Cell Volume:V 388.90 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Crystal Atlas:
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Spodumene no.6 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

About Crystal Atlas

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

Optical Data of Spodumene

Type:Biaxial (+)
RI values: nα = 1.648 - 1.661 nβ = 1.655 - 1.670 nγ = 1.662 - 1.679
2V:Measured: 54° to 69°, Calculated: 88°
Maximum Birefringence:δ = 0.014 - 0.018

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:Moderate
Dispersion:weak

Chemical Properties of Spodumene

Formula:
LiAl[Si
 
2
O
 
6
]
Essential elements:Al, Li, O, Si
All elements listed in formula:Al, Li, O, Si
Common Impurities:Fe,Mn,Mg,Ca,Na,K,H2O

Relationship of Spodumene to other Species

Related to:
  • Clinopyroxene Subgroup
    • Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

    - +
    9.DA.05Donpeacorite
    (Mn
    2+
     
    		,Mg)Mg[SiO
     
    3
    		]
     
    2
    9.DA.05Enstatite
    Mg
     
    2
    		[SiO
     
    3
    		]
     
    2
    9.DA.05Ferrosilite
    Fe
     
    2
    		[SiO
     
    3
    		]
     
    2
    9.DA.10Clinoenstatite
    Mg
     
    2
    		[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.10Clinoferrosilite
    Fe
    2+
     
    		(Fe
    2+
     
    		,Mg)[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.10Kanoite
    Mn
    2+
     
    		(Mg,Mn
    2+
     
    		)[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.10Pigeonite
    (Mg,Fe
    2+
     
    		,Ca)(Mg,Fe
    2+
     
    		)[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.15Augite
    (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe
    2+
     
    		,Al,Fe
    3+
     
    		,Ti)[(Si,Al)
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.15Diopside
    CaMg[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.15Esseneite
    CaFe
    3+
     
    		[AlSiO
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.15Hedenbergite
    CaFe
    2+
     
    		[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.15Johannsenite
    CaMn
    2+
     
    		[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.15Petedunnite
    Ca(Zn,Mn
    2+
     
    		,Mg,Fe
    2+
     
    		)[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.15Davisite
    CaScAlSiO
     
    6
    9.DA.15IMA2008-059
    CaAl[AlSiO
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.15IMA2008-042a
    CaTi
    3+
     
    		 AlSiO
     
    6
    9.DA.20Aegirine-augite
    (Na,Ca)(Fe
    3+
     
    		,Fe
    2+
     
    		,Mg,Al)Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    9.DA.20Omphacite
    (Ca,Na)(Mg,Al)[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.25Aegirine
    NaFe
    3+
     
    		[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.25Jadeite
    Na(Al,Fe
    3+
     
    		)[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.25Jervisite
    (Na,Ca,Fe
    2+
     
    		)(Sc,Mg,Fe
    2+
     
    		)[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.25Kosmochlor
    NaCr[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.25Namansilite
    NaMn
    3+
     
    		[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    9.DA.25Natalyite
    Na(V
    3+
     
    		,Cr)[Si
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		]
    Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

    - +
    16.1.1Petalite
    LiAlSi
     
    4
    		O
     
    10
    16.1.3Eucryptite
    LiAl[SiO
     
    4
    		]
    16.1.4Virgilite
    LiAlSi
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    16.1.5Cookeite
    LiAl
     
    4
    		(Si
     
    3
    		Al)O
     
    10
    		(OH)
     
    8
    16.1.6Bikitaite
    LiAlSi
     
    2
    		O
     
    6
    		·H
     
    2
    		O
    16.1.7Lunijianlaite
    Li
     
    0.7
    		Al
     
    6.2
    		(Si
     
    7
    		AlO
     
    20
    		)(OH,O)
     
    10
    16.1.8Swinefordite
    Li(Al,Li,Mg)
     
    4
    		(Si,Al)
     
    8
    		O
     
    20
    		,(OH,F)
     
    4
    		·xH
     
    2
    		O
    16.1.9Holmquistite
    ☐[Li
     
    2
    		][Mg
     
    3
    		Al
     
    2
    		][(OH)
     
    2
    		|Si
     
    8
    		O
     
    22
    		]
    16.1.13Clinoferroholmquistite
    [ ][Li
     
    2
    		][Fe
    2+
    3
    		Al
     
    2
    		][(OH)
     
    2
    		|Si
     
    8
    		O
     
    22
    		]
    16.1.14Magnesioholmquistite
    16.1.15Bityite
    CaLiAl
     
    2
    		[(OH)
     
    2
    		|BeAlSi
     
    2
    		O
     
    10
    		]
    16.1.16Sogdianite
    (K,Na)
     
    2
    		(Li,Fe)
     
    3
    		(Zr,Ti,Fe)Si
     
    12
    		O
     
    30
    16.1.17Sugilite
    KNa
     
    2
    		(Fe,Mn,Al)
     
    2
    		Li
     
    3
    		Si
     
    12
    		O
     
    30

    Other Names for Spodumene

    Synonyms:
    Alpha-SpodumeneTriphane
    Other Languages:
    Basque:Espodumeno
    Croatian:Spodumen
    Dutch:Spodumeen
    Estonian:Spodumeen
    Finnish:Spodumeeni
    French:Spodumène
    German:Spodumen
    Hungarian:Spodumen
    Italian:Spodumene
    Japanese:リシア輝石
    リチア輝石
    Lithuanian:Spodumenas
    Polish:Spodumen
    Portuguese:Espodúmena
    Russian:Сподумен
    Swedish:Spodumen
    Varieties:
    HiddeniteKunzite

    Other Information

    Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

    References for Spodumene

    Reference List:Dana, E.S. (1892) Dana's system of mineralogy, 6th edition. New York: 366-369.

    Gabriel A. et al. (1942), Economic Geology: 37: 116.

    Clark, J.R., D.E. Appleman, and J.J. Papike (1969) Crystal-chemical characterization of clinopyroxenes based on eight new structure refinements. MSA Special Paper 2: 31-50.

    Cameron, M., S. Shigeho, C.T. Prewitt & J.J. Papike (1973), High temperature crystal chemistry of acmite, diopside, hedenbergite, jadeite, spodumene and ureyite: American Mineralogist: 58: 594-618.

    Deer, W.A., R.A. Howie, and J. Zussman (1978) Rock-forming minerals, 2nd edition, vol. 2A, single-chain silicates: 527-544.

    Acta Crystallographica (1999): B: 273.

    Arlt, T. and Angel, R. (2000) Displacive phase transitions in C-centered clinopyroxenes: spodumene, LiScSi2O6, and ZnSiO3. Physics and Chemistry of Minerals: 27: 719-731.

    Internet Links for Spodumene

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  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
  • Search for Spodumene in the Natural History Museum (London) online catalogue
  • Spodumene details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
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    Localities for Spodumene

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