Lévyne - Encyclopedia
Class : Silicates
Subclass : Tectosilicates
Crystal system : Trigonal
Chemistry : (Ca,Na2,K2)Al2Si4O12 6H2O
Rarity : Uncommon
Lévyne (or leveyne, or levynite) is an uncommon zeolite which occupies the cavities of basalts, along with other zeolites, notably offretite and erionite. It was named in honor of Armand Lévy, mathematician and crystallographer at the University of Liège and the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. Lévyne crystals are tabular to lamellar, with ridged faces and do not exceed 3 cm. They are frequently agglomerated in tufted aggregates or in sheaves and systematically show interpenetration twinning. They are colorless or white, sometimes light green, rarely pink-orange to yellow.
Main photo : Lévyne from Punta del Aguila, Playa Blanca, Canary Islands, Spain © Volker Betz
Lévyne in the World
Twinning
Interpenetration twins are common in this mineral species.
Fakes and treatments
No fakes recorded for this mineral species.
Hardness : 4 to 4.5
Density : 2.09 to 2.16
Fracture : Irregular to sub-conchoidal
Streak : White
TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.487 to 1.510
Birefringence : 0.032
Optical character : Uniaxial -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None
Solubility : -
Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None