HINGGANITE

    Class : Silicates
    Subclass : Nesosilicates
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : (Y,Yb)BeSiO4(OH)
    Rarity : Very rare

Hingganite is a rare earth, beryllium and yttrium silicate. Depending on the dominant rare earth it is called hingganite-(Y), hingganite-(Ce) or hingganite-(Yb). These are extremely rare minerals of late formation in pegmatites, mainly those of rocks deficient in silica (nepheline syenites), they are also found more rarely in hydrothermalized dolomites. It owes its name to the Greater Khinghan (Hinggan) Range deposit in China. Hingganite forms small, chunky prismatic crystals rarely larger than 2 mm. It is a milky white, light yellow or light greenish mineral.

Main photo : Hingganite-(Y) from Zagi Mountain, Peshawar, Pakistan © Martin Slama

Hingganite, quartz & aegyrine from Zagi Mountain, Peshawar, Pakistan © Chris Stefano
Hingganite from Furka tunnel, Goms, Valais, Switzerland © Stephan Wolfsried
Hingganite from Trimouns, Ariège, France © Guy Bernadi
Hingganite from Trimouns, Ariège, France © Pascale & Daniel Journet

Hingganite in the World

The best hingganite crystals come from Zagi Mountain in Peshawar district (Pakistan) and measure up to 1.5 cm, they are the largest known crystals. Hingganite is also present in an albitized pegmatite with amazonite, fluorite, microlite and pyrochlore from the Keivy syenitic massif (Kola, Russia). Beautiful specimens are known in fan-shaped acicular aggregates of 2 mm from the pegmatites of Mount Malosa (Malawi). It is also known in the alkaline pegmatites of southern Norway (Langesundsfjord) and in the geodes of a cassiterite, titanite and fluorite pegmatite from Tahara (Honshû, Japan).

Hexahydrite in France

In France, hingganite-(Y) is known in an original setting for this mineral : the hydrothermalized dolomites of the large Luzenac talc deposit near Trimouns (Ariège). It is also found on the Plateau de Mont-Cenis near St-Jean-de-Maurienne (Savoie) and in the Madone des Fenestres valley (Alpes-Maritime).

Twinning

No twins known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes recorded for this mineral species.


Hardness : 6 to 7
Density : Undeterminated
Fracture : Undeterminated
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : -
Birefringence : -
Optical character : Biaxial
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : -

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None

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