PETALITE

Petalite

Petalite, also known as castorite, is a lithium aluminium phyllosilicate mineral LiAlSi4O10, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. Petalite is a member of the feldspathoid group. It occurs as colourless, grey, yellow, yellow grey, to white tabular crystals and columnar masses. Occurs in lithium-bearing pegmatites with spodumene, lepidolite, and tourmaline. Petalite is an important ore of lithium, and is converted to spodumene and quartz by heating to ~500 °C and under 3 kbar of pressure in the presence of a dense hydrous alkali borosilicate fluid with a minor carbonate component. The colorless varieties are often used as gemstones.

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petalite

Noun

  1. A rare pegmatitic mineral, a lithium aluminosilicate, with the chemical formula LiAlSi4O10; used in the manufacture of crystallized glass ceramics.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: petalite
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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