Inderite - Encyclopedia
Class : Carbonates, nitrates, borates
Subclass : Borates
Crystal system : Monoclinic
Chemistry : MgB3O3(OH)5 5H2O
Rarity : Rare
Inderite (or lesserite) is a rare hydrated magnesium borate. It is found in evaporitic borate deposits. It is named after its place of discovery : Lake Inder in Kazakhstan. Inderite forms prismatic or acicular crystals, sometimes large (up to 20 cm by 2 cm), frequently doubly-terminated, and reniform aggregates. Inderite is colorless, white or slightly shaded with yellowish or pinkish. It is a boron ore.
Main photo : Inderite from Rio Tinto, Boron, California, USA © Rock Currier
inderite in the World
Twinning
No twins known for this mineral species.
Fakes and treatments
No fakes recorded for this mineral species.
Hardness : 3
Density : 1.80
Fracture : Undeterminated
Streak : White
TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.488 to 1.505
Birefringence : 0.017
Optical character : Biaxial +
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None
Solubility : Hydrochloric acid
Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None