Hornblende Photos   
Cochise College               
Photos of Minerals
Geology Home Page

Roger Weller, geology instructor

[email protected]     copyright 2010-R.Weller 

 
hornblende cleavage-1
As an exciting, colorful mineral, hornblende doesn't make the list.
Hornblende is the most common member of the amphibole family of silicate
minerals.  Besides silica, it has a little bit of everything else in its chemistry: ferrous
and ferric iron, aluminum, calcium, manganese, magnesium, and alkalis.
Hornblende forms prismatic, dark brown to black, small crystals in many igneous
rocks.  It is most commonly confused with the mineral augite that forms shorter,
stubby crystals.  Hornblende can be distinguished from augite by its cleavage; the
two cleavage planes in augite are nearly at right angles, while the two cleavage
planes in hornblende are at an angle of 124 degrees.
 

hornblende                                                                                                                                         1
Photo is copyright free only for non-commercial educational uses.
Just credit photo to R.Weller/Cochise College.