Carpholite - Encyclopedia
Class : Silicates
Subclass : Inosilicates
Crystal system : Orthorhombic
Chemistry : MnAl2Si2O6(OH)4
Rarity : Rare
Carpholite is an uncommon silicate of slightly metamorphic schists, in which it associates with chloritoid, spessartine and sometimes fluorite. It forms a series with ferrocarpholite. Its name comes from the Greek karphos (straw) and lithos (stone) because of its color. It is a yellow, sometimes brown mineral, which forms prismatic to fibrous crystals, grouped in radiated tufts of 2 cm at most.
Main photo : Carpholite from Krásno, Sokolov District, Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic © Gerard van der Veldt
Carpholite in the World
Twinning
A twin is known on {100}.
Fakes and treatments
No fake identified for this mineral species.
Hardness : 5 to 5.5
Density : 2.93 to 3.03
Fracture : Fibrous
Streak : White
TP : Translucent
RI : 1.610 to 1.630
Birefringence : 0.020
Optical character : Biaxial -
Pleochroism : Low
Fluorescence : None
Solubility : -
Magnetism : None
Radioactivity : None