Armbrusterite

armbrusterite

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Formula: Na6K5Mn3+Mn2+14(Si9O22)4(OH)10.4H2O
Phyllosilicate (sheet silicate), manganese-bearing mineral
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 2.78 measured, 2.579 calculated
Hardness: 3½
Streak: Light brown
Colour: Dark reddish brown
Environments

Plutonic igneous environments
Hydrothermal environments

Localities

At the type locality, Kukisvumchorr Mt, Khibiny Massif, Murmansk Oblast, Russia, armbrusterite was found in a thin cancrinite - aegirine - microcline vein within urtite. It occurs in intimate association with raite; other associated minerals are lamprophyllite, manganoneptunite, pectolite, vinogradovite, calcite, molybdenite, galena, sphalerite and fluorite. Armbrusterite occurs as split, curved crystals and spherulites up to 2 mm in diameter. It is translucent, transparent in thin fragments, and dark reddish-brown with a vitreous lustre (AM 92.416-423).

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