Babingtonite
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Babingtonite was named after Dr. William Babington (May 21, 1756 - April 29, 1833), physician and mineralogist, curator of the John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, mineral collection until 1792, founding member and President (from 1822 to 1824) of the Geological Society of London and author of noted systematic books on mineralogy (1796 - 1799).

Discovered in 1824; IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

Ca₂(Fe²⁺;Mn)Fe³⁺Si₅O₁₄(OH)

Calcium Iron Manganese Silicate Hydroxide

Molecular Weight:

573.05 gm

Composition:

Calcium

13.99 %

Ca

19.57 %

CaO

Manganese

2.40 %

Mn

3.09 %

MnO

Iron

17.05 %

Fe

21.94 %

FeO

Silicon

24.51 %

Si

52.43 %

SiO₂

Hydrogen

0.18 %

H

1.57 %

H₂O

Oxygen

41.88 %

O

100.00 %

98.60 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates (Germanates)

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/F.27-20

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.DK.05

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)

D : Inosilicates
K : Inosilicates with 5-periodic single chains

Related to:

Babingtonite Group. Babingtonite-Manganbabingtonite Series.

Members of Group:

Babingtonite Group: Babingtonite, Manganbabingtonite, Scandiobabingtonite

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

None

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Triclinic - Pinacoidal

Crystal Habit:

Stubby, prismatic, striated crystals, to 3 cm; also platy and as subparallel aggregates.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

Perfect on {001}, good on {010} and {100}. 

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven to Subconchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

5.5 - 6.0

Density:

3.34 - 3.37 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Other:

Weakly Magnetic

Optical Properties

Color:

Almost always black; black to dark greenish black

Transparency:

Opaque to faintly translucent in thin crystals or splinters

Luster:

Vitreous

Refractive Index:

1.700 - 1.725  Biaxial ( - ) 

Birefringence:

0.025

Dispersion:

Strong; r > v

Pleochroism:

X = deep green; Y = lilac-brown; Z = pale to deep brown.

Occurances

Geological Setting:

Veins cutting granitic pegmatites and diorites, cavities and vugs in mafic volcanic rocks and gneisses, skarns.

Common Associations:

Prehnite, Calcite, Epidote, Albite, Orthoclase, Garnet, Quartz, "Hornblende," Zeolites.

Common Impurities:

Ti, Al, Mg, Na

Type Locality:

Arendal Iron Mines, Arendal, Aust-Agder, Norway

Year Discovered:

1824

View mineral photos:

Babingtonite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Babingtonite is a calcium iron manganese inosilicate mineral that is unusual in that iron(+3) completely replaces the aluminium so typical of silicate minerals. Technically speaking, Babingtonite contains both divalent (+2) and trivalent (+3) iron ions where aluminum ions would normally be in a silicate mineral. This causes Babingtonite to have very weak magnetism. It is typically black but may also be a very dark green. It is typically opaque but may also be translucent (in thin crystals or slivers). Babingtonite often occurs with Zeolite group minerals in cavities in volcanic rocks. It also is the only black mineral found with the typically white or pale colored Zeolites. This makes a nice contrast which makes it easy to see the normally small Babingtonite crystals among the other minerals in a zeolitic pocket.

Babingtonite was first described in 1824 from samples from the Arendal Iron Mines, Arendal, Aust-Agder, Norway (the type locality) and was named after Dr. William Babington (May 21, 1756 - April 29, 1833), physician and mineralogist, curator of the John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute mineral collection until 1792, founding member and President (from 1822 to 1824) of the Geological Society of London and author of noted systematic books on mineralogy (1796 - 1799). Babingtonite is the official mineral of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Known from a number of localities, most minor; some of the loalities providing good crystals are: in Norway, at the Brastad mine, Oyestad, near Arendal. From Gronsjöberg, Dalarma, Sweden. In Germany, at Herbornseelbach, Hesse. From Baveno, Piedmont, Italy. In the Khandivali quarry, near Bombay, Maharashtra, India. At Mitani, Kochi Prefecture, Japan. From Noril'sk, western Siberia, Russia. In the USA, in Massachusetts, exceptional crystals from Lane's quarry, Westfield, Hampden County; in the Cheapside and Deerfield quarries, East Deerfield, Franklin County; also at Winchester Highlands, Uxbridge, Norfolk County. At Paterson, Passaic County, and Mine Hill, Morris County, New Jersey; from the Goose Creek quarry, Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia; and at Lenoir, Caldwell County, North Carolina.
 

  
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