Poudretteite is an extremely rare mineral and gemstone that was first discovered as minute crystals in Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada, during the 1960s.[6] The mineral was named for the Poudrette family because they operated a quarry in the Mont St. Hilaire area where poudretteite was originally found, and the quarry is currently owned by the United Kingdom based Salmon Mining Industries Inc. Poudretteite has a barely detectable radioactivity.[7]

Poudretteite
General
CategoryCyclosilicate
Formula
(repeating unit)
KNa2B3Si12O30
IMA symbolPou[1]
Strunz classification9.CM.05
Dana classification63.02.01a.08
Crystal systemHexagonal
Crystal classDihexagonal dipyramidal (6/mmm)
H-M symbol: (6/m 2/m 2/m)
Space groupP6/mcc
Unit cell1,221.72 ų
Identification
ColorColorless, Light pink
Crystal habitRoughly equant barrel-shaped prismatic crystals
CleavageNone
FractureConchoidal, splintery
TenacityBrittle
Mohs scale hardness5
LusterVitreous (Glassy)
StreakWhite
DiaphaneityTransparent
Specific gravity2.51
Density2.51
Optical propertiesUniaxial (+)
Refractive index1.511 to 1.532
Birefringence0.021
PleochroismColorless to pink
References[2][3][4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. ^ "Mineralienatlas – Fossilienatlas".
  3. ^ Barthelmy, Dave. "Poudretteite Mineral Data". webmineral.com.
  4. ^ "Poudretteite: Poudretteite mineral information and data". www.mindat.org.
  5. ^ "Poudretteite gemstone information". www.gemdat.org.
  6. ^ a b "Poudretteite – The Gemology Project". gemologyproject.com.
  7. ^ Multicolour – Poudretteite Archived 2013-04-12 at the Wayback Machine