Bikitaite, LiAlSi2O6·H2O, a new mineral from Southern Rhodesia

The new mineral bikitaite, LiAlSi2O6·H2O, occurs in lithium-rich pegmatites at Bikita, Southern Rhodesia. It is colorless or white, with a hardness of six and specific gravity 2.34, and occurs interstitially with granular eucryptite and quartz. It is optically biaxial negative, 2V = 45° and indices...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American mineralogist 1957, Vol.42 (11-12), p.792-797
Main Author: Hurlbut, Jr
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
bikitaite
mineral data
Southern Africa
X-ray analysis
Zimbabwe
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Summary:The new mineral bikitaite, LiAlSi2O6·H2O, occurs in lithium-rich pegmatites at Bikita, Southern Rhodesia. It is colorless or white, with a hardness of six and specific gravity 2.34, and occurs interstitially with granular eucryptite and quartz. It is optically biaxial negative, 2V = 45° and indices α = 1.510, β = 1.521, γ = 1.523. X-ray data show it to be monoclinic with a = 8.63, b = 4.95, c = 7.64 A, β = 114°34′. A chemical analysis is included.
ISSN:0003-004X
1945-3027