Red Beryl from Wah Wah Mountains, Utah

 

M & W Minerals

Walter R. Kellogg

 

517 294 6709

mwminerals@comcast.net

                           

 Inosilicates Gallery

Inosilcates are called the chain silicates and are composed of two classes, the single chain and double chain silicates.

The single chain silicates have SiO4 tetrahedrons which share two oxygens with two other tetrahedrons forming  a virtually endless chain. This makes for a ratio of silicon to oxygen of 1:3. The tetrahedrons alternate to the left and to the right of the axis formed by the linked oxygens. More complex chains can form a spiral. In cross section, the chain forms a trapezoid. It is this shape which produces the angles between the faces of the crystals and the directions of cleavage.

 The double chain silicates have  two single chains which lie next to each other. An oxygen ion links each of the right sided tetrahedrons in the left chain with the left sided tetrahedrons in the right chain. Because there is an extra shared oxygen for every four silicons,  the ratio of silicon to oxygen is reduced to 4:11. The double chain is a chain of six sided rings. It has a similar cross section to a single chain, except the trapezoid is longer, which produces a different set of angles.

The cleavage of the chain silicates occurss between the chains; the chains are not broken. This produces a prismatic cleavage. For single chained silicates, the two directions of cleavage are close to 90 degrees which forms almost square cross sections. For double chain silicates, the cleavage angle is close to 120 and 60 degrees which forms rhombic cross sections.

Single chain silicates: Neptunite, Okenite, Pectolite, The Pyroxene group (Aegerine, Augite, Diopside, Spodumne (Kunzite, Hiddenite), Jadeite and others), Rhodonite, Serandite, Shattuckite, and others

Double chain silicates: Amphibole group (Actinolite, Edenite, Cummingtonite, Hornblende, Inesite, Tremolite, Richterite, Glaucophane and others), Astrophyllite, Babingtonite, Charoite, Inesite, Plancheite and others

minerals in alphabetical order by first letter only

click on the title link or photo to proceed to a specimen's page


A

#1140 Actinolite in Calcite
Minerals Specimen: Actinolite in Calcite from Maple Leaf, Monteagle Township, Hastings Co., Ontario, Canada

Maple Leaf, Monteagle Township, Hastings Co., Ontario, Canada
late 1970s
8.6 x 8.2 x 4.7 cm
SOLD

C

#1232 Charoite with Tinaksite and Aegirine
Minerals Specimen: Charoite with Tinaksite  and Aegirine from Irkutskii area, Murunskii Massif, Chara and Tokko Rivers Confluence, Aldan Shield, Irkutskaya Oblast', Prebaikalia, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia

Irkutskii area, Murunskii Massif, Chara and Tokko Rivers Confluence, Aldan Shield, Irkutskaya Oblast', Prebaikalia, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia
(K,Na)6-7(Ca,Na)18[(Si6O17)(Si12O30)(Si18O45)](OH,F)2·n H2O with K2Na(Ca,Mn2+)2Ti[O|Si7O18(OH)] and NaFe3+Si2O6
6.2 x 2.6 x 1 cm
$18

D

#48 Diopside, Epidote
Minerals Specimen: Diopside, Epidote from Ciamo Alpl, Val di Fassa, Trento,  Italy

Ciamo Alpl, Val di Fassa, Trento, Italy
10 x 5 x 4.7 cm
$50

K

#44 Kunzite (Spodumene)
Minerals Specimen: Kunzite (Spodumene) from Urucum Mine, Galileia, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Urucum Mine, Galileia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
13 x 4 x 1.2 cm Appx. 12 g
$100

R

#1267 Rhodonite
Minerals Specimen: Rhodonite from San Martin Mine, Chiurucu, Huallanca, Bolognesi Province, Ancash Department, Peru

San Martin Mine, Chiurucu, Huallanca, Bolognesi Province, Ancash Department, Peru
4.3 x 3.5 x 3.8 cm
$20

#875 Rhodonite Crystal with Galena and Sphalerite
Minerals Specimen: Rhodonite Crystal with Galena and Sphalerite from Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia

Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia
3.8 x 2 x 1.9 cm
$125

#820 Rhodonite Cabochon
Minerals Specimen: Rhodonite Cabochon from Brazil

Brazil
3.7 x 2.7 x 0.4 cm
$18

S

#272 Bladed Serandite
Minerals Specimen: Bladed Serandite from Poudrette Quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Rouville RCM, Monteregie, Quebec, Canada

Poudrette Quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Rouville RCM, Monteregie, Quebec, Canada
Na(Mn2+,Ca)2[HSi3O9]
5.3 x 3.3 x 2.9 cm
$100

#239 Shattuckite
Minerals Specimen: Shattuckite from Omaue Mine, Kaokoveld Plateau, Kunene Region, Namibia

Omaue Mine, Kaokoveld Plateau, Kunene Region, Namibia
Cu5(SiO3)4(OH)2
5.7 x 3.6 x 2.9 cm
$200

X

#992 Xonotlite
Minerals Specimen: Xonotlite from Marshall Beach, Fort Point, San Francisco, San Francisco Co., California, USA

Marshall Beach, Fort Point, San Francisco, San Francisco Co., California, USA
Ca6(Si6O17)(OH)2
4.5 x 3.1 x 1.4 cm
$25

Specimens which have this class of minerals as an associated mineral

#410 Chalcopyrite and Quartz on Hedenbergite
Minerals Specimen: Chalcopyrite and Quartz  on Hedenbergite from El Mochito Mine, El Mocho, Santa Barbara Department, Honduras

El Mochito Mine, El Mocho, Santa Barbara Department, Honduras
8.6 x 6.7 x 4.3 cm
$75

#943 Grossular Garnet, Vesuvianite, Diopside, Clinochlore
Minerals Specimen: Grossular Garnet, Vesuvianite, Diopside, Clinochlore from Gletscher Alp, Langflue Spielboden area, Saas Fee, Saas Valley, Zermatt Saas Fee area, Wallis (Valais), Switzerland

Gletscher Alp, Langflue Spielboden area, Saas Fee, Saas Valley, Zermatt Saas Fee area, Wallis (Valais), Switzerland
6.9 x 4.5 x 5.1 cm
$85

#876 Grossular Garnet variety: Hessonite on Diopside
Minerals Specimen: Grossular Garnet variety: Hessonite on Diopside from Jeffrey Quarry, Asbestos, Les Sources RCM, Estrie, Quebec, Canada

Jeffrey Quarry, Asbestos, Les Sources RCM, Estrie, Quebec, Canada
4 x 3.4 x 1.9 cm
$150

#268 Chrome Grossular Garnet on Diopside
Minerals Specimen: Chrome Grossular Garnet on Diopside from Orford Nickel mine, St-Denis-de-Brompton, Sherbrooke County, Quebec, Canada

Orford Nickel mine, St-Denis-de-Brompton, Sherbrooke County, Quebec, Canada
9.5 x 4.7 x 2.5 cm
$75

#1174 Lamprophyllite, Aegirine
Minerals Specimen: Lamprophyllite, Aegirine from Rasvumchorr Mt, Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast', Northern Region, Russia

Rasvumchorr Mt, Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast', Northern Region, Russia
(Sr,K,Ba)2(Na,Ti,Mn2+,Fe3+)4Ti2(Si2O7)2O(O,OH,F)
3.8 x 3.4 x 1.8 cm
$20

#1299 Prase - Quartz with included Hedenbergite with Hematite Iron Roses
Minerals Specimen: Prase - Quartz with included Hedenbergite with Hematite Iron Roses from Serifos Island (Seriphos), Cyclade Islands, Kyklades Prefecture, Aegean Islands Department, Greece

Serifos Island (Seriphos), Cyclade Islands, Kyklades Prefecture, Aegean Islands Department, Greece
6.7 x 1.2 x 1.2 cm
$55

#504 Polylithonite on Albite with Aegirine
Minerals Specimen: Polylithonite on Albite with Aegirine from Poudrette Quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Rouville RCM, Monteregie, Quebec, Canada

Poudrette Quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Rouville RCM, Monteregie, Quebec, Canada
KLi2Al(Si4O10)(F,OH)2
6.1 x 3.8 x 2.5 cm
$35

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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