Strong in kunzite: α-purple, γ-colorless; hiddenite: α-green, γ-colorless
2V angle
54° to 69°
Fusibility
3.5
Solubility
insoluble
Other characteristics
Tenebrescence, chatoyancy
References
[2][3][4][5]
Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, LiAl(SiO3)2, and is a commercially important source of lithium. It occurs as colorless to yellowish, purplish, or lilac kunzite (see below), yellowish-green or emerald-green hiddenite, prismatic crystals, often of great size. Single crystals of 14.3 m (47 ft) in size are reported from the Black Hills of South Dakota, United States.[6][7]
The naturally-occurring low-temperature form α-spodumene is in the monoclinic system, and the high-temperature β-spodumene crystallizes in the tetragonal system. α-spodumene converts to β-spodumene at temperatures above 900 °C.[5] Crystals are typically heavily striated parallel to the principal axis. Crystal faces are often etched and pitted with triangular markings.[not verified in body]
^Anthony, John W., Bideaux, Richard A., Bladh, Kenneth W., and Nichols, Monte C. (1990). Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineral Data Publishing, Tucson, Arizona
^Hurlbut, Cornelius S.; Klein, Cornelis, 1985, Manual of Mineralogy, 20th ed., ISBN 0-471-80580-7
^ abDeer, Howie and Zussman, Rock Forming Minerals, v. 2 Chain Silicates, Wiley, 1963 pp. 92–98
^Schwartz, G. (1928). "The Black Hills Mineral Region". American Mineralogist. 13: 56–63.
^Robert Louis Bonewitz, 2005, Rock and Gem, London, Dorling Kindersley
Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, LiAl(SiO3)2, and is a commercially important source of lithium. It occurs...
lithium-bearing pegmatites with spodumene, lepidolite, and tourmaline. Petalite is an important ore of lithium, and is converted to spodumene and quartz by heating...
pale-to-emerald green variety of spodumene that is sometimes used as a gemstone. The first specimens of the hiddenite variety of spodumene were recovered circa 1879...
Western Australia. Most Australian lithium is produced from hard-rock spodumene, in contrast to other major producers like Argentina, Chile and China...
temperatures around 1300 °C. Lithium is extracted from primarily two sources: spodumene in pegmatite deposits, and lithium salts in underground brine pools. About...
within pegmatites. These include crystals of microcline, quartz, mica, spodumene, beryl, and tourmaline. Some individual crystals are over 10 m (33 ft)...
of chalcedony) Hessonite (variety of grossular) Hiddenite (variety of spodumene) Hyalite (variety of opal) Hyalophane (synonym of jaloallofane) Hypersthene...
rubidium. Lepidolite is found with other lithium-bearing minerals, such as spodumene, in pegmatite bodies. It has also been found in high-temperature quartz...
in 1824, and was named by him soda-spodumene (Natron-spodumen), because of its resemblance in appearance to spodumene. Perfectly colorless and transparent...
content. For example, the Li2O content of the principal lithium mineral spodumene (LiAlSi2O6) is 8.03%. Lithium oxide forms along with small amounts of...
metamorphic rocks and veins in association with lepidolite, microcline, and spodumene in granite pegmatites; with andalusite and biotite in schist; and with...
largest lithium spodumene hard-rock deposit in the world. The deposit located in Manono, DRC, may hold up to 1.5 billion tons of lithium spodumene hard-rock...
time mining paused in 1947, the mine had yielded 41 tons of high-grade spodumene, 558 tons of lepidolite ore, nearly 500 pounds of placer tantalite-columbite...
Australia, Canada and Argentina. It owned and operated the Mt Cattlin spodumene-tantalite mine at Ravensthorpe, Western Australia. The mine operated between...
electric equipment. The mine expects to process the lithium ore into 6% spodumene. It signed a memorandum of understanding to supply Korean battery maker...
95 million tonnes (2.15 million short tons; 1.92 million long tons) of lithium spodumene annually. The mine is 250 kilometres (160 miles) south of Perth and 90...
The Tanco Mining Company. The mine is an active producer of caesium, tantalum and spodumene. List of lakes of Manitoba Booster Lake Website v t e v t e...
The Mt Cattlin mine is a spodumene-tantalite mine 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) north of Ravensthorpe, Western Australia. In 2019 Mt Cattlin had a reserve of...
occurs as granular to massive in form and may pseudomorphically replace spodumene. It has a brittle to conchoidal fracture and indistinct cleavage. It is...
rock formation. The pegmatites at the deposits comprise lithium-bearing spodumene, quartz, albite, microcline as well as mica" with a consistent lithium...
the production of lithium worldwide. World production of lithium via spodumene was around 80,000 metric tonnes per annum in 2018, primarily from the...
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