Images
Formula: Ca9B26O34(OH)24Cl4.13H2O
Hydrated megaborate, monoclinic
paramorph of triclinic pringleite
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 2.13 calculated
Hardness: 3 to 4
Streak: White
Colour: Colourless to orange, white, pale yellow
Environments
Localities
At the type locality, the Potash Corporation of the Saskatchewan Mine, Penobsquis, Cardwell Parish, Kings county, New
Brunswick, Canada, most of the borate minerals reported occur in the Middle Halite
member of the evaporite sequence, and include boracite,
colemanite, danburite,
hilgardite, howlite,
hydroboracite, priceite,
szaibélyite, ulexite,
veatchite and volkovskite.
Pringleite and ruitenbergite are minor constituents in the holotype
hand specimen, which
is composed principally of halite and
hilgardite-1A, with minor sylvite
and traces of anhydrite, quartz and
clays.
Ruitenbergite has been found only in one polished thick section, where it occurs as a single 7 x 4 mm anhedral
grain, associated with hilgardite-1A,
halite and pringleite. This grain is
also the host to numerous 0.5 mm inclusions of hilgardite-1A.
Ruitenbergite is megascopically indistinguishable from pringleite and
was accidently encountered during preliminary X-ray powder-diffraction studies of supposed "pringleite" grains. The two
paramorphs are physically and chemically identical and can be reliably
distinguished only by detailed optical, X-ray powder or X-ray single-crystal study
(CM 31.4.795-800).
Ruitenbergite from Penobsquis - Image
Back to Minerals