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www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals K-O |
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Name
Natrolite
Chemistry
Na2Al2Si3O10.2H2O
Uses
As a collectors specimen
Color
Colorless
Hardness
5
Specific gravity
2.2-2.3
Streak
White
Crystals
Prysmatic, needle-like. Acicular crystals frequently arranged as divergent or radiating aggregate sprays.
Accompanied by:
Inesite, tobermorite, datolite and hydroxyapophyllite
Similar to:
Mesolite and scelosite
The fibrous habit is the distinguishing feature.
Natrolite occurs typically in the cavities of basaltic and other igneous rocks.
In the Kalahari Manganese field natrolite was found in the drill cores but no well formed crystals were known untill those found with inesite 1992 at the Wessels mine.
The natrolite occured as prismatic crystals up to 10 cm long and many specimens consist of stellate groups composed of 2 to 3 cm long crystals.
