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Wiluite

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Wiluite
Wiluite crystal from the Wilui River, Siberia
General
CategorySorosilicates
Formula
(repeating unit)		Ca19(Al,Mg,Fe,Ti)13(B,Al,[ ])5Si18O68(O,OH)10
IMA symbolWil
Strunz classification9.BG.35
Crystal systemTetragonal
Crystal classDitetragonal dipyramidal (4/mmm)
H-M symbol: (4/m 2/m 2/m)
Space groupP4/nnc
Unit cella = 15.716, c = 11.704 ; Z = 2
Identification
ColorDark green
Crystal habitTypically as euhedral crystals
Cleavage{100} poor
FractureIrregular
Mohs scale hardness6
LusterVitreous
Specific gravity3.36
Optical propertiesUniaxial (+)
Refractive indexnω = 1.721 nε = 1.725
Birefringenceδ = 0.004
References

Wiluite is a dark green, brownish, or black blocky silicate mineral with the chemical formula Ca19(Al,Mg,Fe,Ti)13(B,Al,[ ])5Si18O68(O,OH)10. It has a Mohs hardness of 6 and a specific gravity of 3.36. It has a vitreous lustre, poor cleavage and an irregular brittle fracture. It crystallizes in the tetragonal system and occurs as well-formed crystals with good external form. It is isostructural with the vesuvianite group and is associated with wollastonite and olive-green grossulars (viluites) in a serpentinized skarn.

The minerals that wiluite and viluite refer to have often been confused, and may refer to grossular, or wiluite. It was discovered in the 1990s and named for the Wilui River region, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia.

Viluite was introduced as a mineral name twice. Von Leonhard used it for a mineral that was considered the same as vesuvianite. However, that material was recently shown to be rich in boron and thus different from vesuvianite. In 1998 that material was named Wiluite. The other author to introduce viluite was Severgin, who used it in reference to what is widely known as grossular, a member of the garnet group.

References

  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. Webmineral data
  3. Mindat with location data
  4. Viluite Mindat database
  5. Wiluite (of Severgin) Mindat database
  6. Wiluite Mindat database
  7. W - Wiluite World of Gemstones dictionary, accessed online January 25, 2007
  8. V - Viluite World of Gemstones dictionary, accessed online January 25, 2007
  9. de Fourestier, Jeffrey; Glossary of Mineral Synonyms, Canadian Mineralogist Special Publication 2, Mineralogical Association of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 1999, 445 pp. ISBN 0921294441

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