Pirssonite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Pirssonite
Louis Valentine Pirsson
Formula:
Na2Ca(CO3)2 · 2H2O
Colour:
Colourless, white, pale gray; colourless in transmitted light.
Lustre:
Vitreous
Hardness:
3 - 3½
Specific Gravity:
2.352
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Name:
Named in honor of Louis Valentine Pirsson (3 November 1860, Fordham, New York, USA — 8 December 1919, New Haven, Connecticut, USA), petrographer and mineralogist, Professor of Physical Geology at Yale University. He developed the CIPW classification system for igneous rocks and wrote a couple important textbooks.
Type Locality:
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3220
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3220:5
GUID
(UUID V4):
(UUID V4):
b74d3bc2-84df-4e86-99e7-041d2e393b2d
IMA Classification of Pirssonite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
First published:
1896
Classification of Pirssonite
5.CB.30
5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
C : Carbonates without additional anions, with H2O
B : With large cations (alkali and alkali-earth carbonates)
5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
C : Carbonates without additional anions, with H2O
B : With large cations (alkali and alkali-earth carbonates)
15.2.1.1
15 : HYDRATED NORMAL CARBONATES
2 : AmBn(XO3)p·xH2O, with (m+n):p > 1:1
15 : HYDRATED NORMAL CARBONATES
2 : AmBn(XO3)p·xH2O, with (m+n):p > 1:1
11.1.13
11 : Carbonates
1 : Carbonates of the alkali metals and ammonium
11 : Carbonates
1 : Carbonates of the alkali metals and ammonium
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Pss | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Pirssonite
Vitreous
Transparency:
Transparent
Colour:
Colourless, white, pale gray; colourless in transmitted light.
Streak:
White
Hardness:
3 - 3½ on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Very brittle
Cleavage:
None Observed
Fracture:
Conchoidal
Density:
2.352 g/cm3 (Measured) 2.37 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Pirssonite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.504 nβ = 1.510 nγ = 1.575
2V:
Measured: 31° , Calculated: 34°
Max Birefringence:
δ = 0.071
Image shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness)
and does not take into account mineral colouration.
and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:
Low
Dispersion:
relatively weak
Chemistry of Pirssonite
Mindat Formula:
Na2Ca(CO3)2 · 2H2O
Crystallography of Pirssonite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mm2 - Pyramidal
Space Group:
Fdd2
Cell Parameters:
a = 11.32 Å, b = 20.06 Å, c = 6 Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.564 : 1 : 0.299
Unit Cell V:
1,362.48 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Morphology:
Crystals short prismatic [001] with variable upper termination; also tabular {010}, or pyramidal with e and p¯. Forms include {010}, {111}, {131}, {110}, {111}, {311}.
Crystallographic forms of Pirssonite
Crystal Atlas:
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Pirssonite no.2 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Pirssonite no.6 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
3d models and HTML5 code kindly provided by
www.smorf.nl.
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0012678 | Pirssonite | Dickens B, Brown W E (1969) The crystal structures of CaNa2(CO3)2*5(H2O), synthetic gaylussite, and CaNa2(CO3)2*2(H2O), synthetic pirssonite Inorganic Chemistry 8 2093-2103 | 1969 | synthetic | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2.506 Å | (100) |
| 2.654 Å | (90) |
| 2.565 Å | (80) |
| 5.133 Å | (71) |
| 2.020 Å | (71) |
| 4.928 Å | (60) |
| 3.153 Å | (50) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Near-surface Processes | |
| 25 : Evaporites (prebiotic) | |
| Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks | >3.0 |
| 35 : Ultra-alkali and agpaitic igneous rocks |
Geological Setting:
In oil shales; in sediments of a salt pan.
Type Occurrence of Pirssonite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Isolated crystals, hemimorphic in habit, equant to prismatic and 5 to 15 mm in size.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
No designated type material.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Lacustrine clay beds.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Reference:
Pratt, J.H. (1896) On northupite; pirssonite, a new mineral; Gaylussite and hanksite from Borax Lake, San Bernardino County, California. American Journal of Science, 4th. series: 2: 123-135.
Synonyms of Pirssonite
Other Language Names for Pirssonite
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 5.CB. | Paulišite | Ca2Zn(CO3)3 · 2H2O |
| 5.CB.05 | Thermonatrite | Na2CO3 · H2O |
| 5.CB.10 | Natron | Na2CO3 · 10H2O |
| 5.CB.15 | Trona | Na3H(CO3)2 · 2H2O |
| 5.CB.20 | Monohydrocalcite | CaCO3 · H2O |
| 5.CB.25 | Ikaite | CaCO3 · 6H2O |
| 5.CB.35 | Gaylussite | Na2Ca(CO3)2 · 5H2O |
| 5.CB.40 | Chalconatronite | Na2Cu(CO3)2 · 3H2O |
| 5.CB.45 | Baylissite | K2Mg(CO3)2 · 4H2O |
| 5.CB.50 | Tuliokite | Na6BaTh(CO3)6 · 6H2O |
Other Information
Thermal Behaviour:
Pyroelectric with the end of the [001] axis terminated by {131} becoming negatively electrified on cooling.
When heated before the blowpipe, it decrepitates and fuses about 2-2.5, coloring the flame intensely yellow. In the closed tube it decrepitates and gives off water at a low temperature.
When heated before the blowpipe, it decrepitates and fuses about 2-2.5, coloring the flame intensely yellow. In the closed tube it decrepitates and gives off water at a low temperature.
Notes:
Soluble in cold dilute acids with effervescence.
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Industrial Uses:
None.
Internet Links for Pirssonite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3220.html
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References for Pirssonite
Localities for Pirssonite
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
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Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California, USA