AUGELITE
Class : Phosphates, arsenates, vanadates
Subclass : Anhydrous phosphates
Crystal system : Monoclinic
Chemistry : Al2(PO4)(OH)3
Rarity : Fairly rare
Augelite is an aluminum phosphate present in certain high temperature hydrothermal veins, pegmatites, as well as in metamorphic phosphate and aluminous rocks. Its name comes from the Greek auge (brilliant), in reference to the pearly luster of its cleavage planes. The crystals are tabular, sometimes prismatic, rarely acicular ; they are colorless, yellowish, greenish or pinkish. The augelite also forms cleavable masses, sometimes of significant size. It is a mineral which is not used in any particular field and which remains relatively unknown to collectors.
Main photo : Augelite from Mundo Nuevo Mine, La Libertad, Peru © Rudolf Watzl
Augelite in the World
Augelite in France
In France, augelite is known in the pegmatites of Collioure (Pyrénées-Orientales).
Fakes and treatments
No fake recorded for this mineral species.
Hardness : 4.5 to 5
Density : 2.7
Fracture : Irregular
Trace : White
TP : Translucent to transparent
IR : 1.574 to 1.588
Biréfringence : 0.015
Optical character : Biaxial +
Pleochroism : Visible
Fluorescence : None
Solubility : Hydrochloric acid
Magnetism : None
Radioactivity : None