Cochise College          Photos of Minerals

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                          Roger Weller, geology instructor

                          [email protected]
                                  copyright 2007-R.Weller

Mineral Information on:
scapolite

Chemical Group:   silicate

Chemical Formula: varies from (Na,Ca)₄Al₃(Al,Si)₃Si₆O₂₄(Cl,CO₃,SO₄)  to
(Ca,Na)₄Al₃(Al,Si)₃Si₆O₂₄(Cl,CO₃,SO₄)

Color:  white, gray, pale green, light blue, light red, yellow        Luster:  vitreous                                                                       

Hardness:  5 to 6               Specific Gravity:  2.65 to 2.74               

Cleavage:  imperfect cleavage

Crystal Forms: Tetragonal system
     Crystals are commonly prismatic.

Mineral Associations:  Scapolite forms in contact metamorphic rocks;
     it is associted with diopside, amphibole, garnet, apatite, sphene, zircon

Identifying Characteristics:  square cross section of crystals; 4 directions of cleavage at 45⁰

Uses:  when transparent as a gemstone

Occurrences:  Canada; in the USA in Massachusetts and New York

Toxicity:      when-swallowed-                            when inhaled-

Additional Information:  Scapolite is also known as wernerite.
                  Sometimes scapolite fluoresces orange or yellow under ultraviolet light.