Hingganite - Encyclopedia
Class : Silicates
Subclass : Nesosilicates
Crystal system : Monoclinic
Chemistry : (Y,Yb)BeSiO4(OH)
Rarity : Very rare
Hingganite is a rare earth, beryllium and yttrium silicate. Depending on the dominant rare earth it is called hingganite-(Y), hingganite-(Ce) or hingganite-(Yb). These are extremely rare minerals of late formation in pegmatites, mainly those of rocks deficient in silica (nepheline syenites), they are also found more rarely in hydrothermalized dolomites. It owes its name to the Greater Khinghan (Hinggan) Range deposit in China. Hingganite forms small, chunky prismatic crystals rarely larger than 2 mm. It is a milky white, light yellow or light greenish mineral.
Main photo : Hingganite-(Y) from Zagi Mountain, Peshawar, Pakistan © Martin Slama
Hingganite in the World
Twinning
No twins known for this mineral species.
Fakes and treatments
No fakes recorded for this mineral species.
Hardness : 6 to 7
Density : Undeterminated
Fracture : Undeterminated
Streak : White
TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : -
Birefringence : -
Optical character : Biaxial
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None
Solubility : -
Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None