LAUEITE

    Class : Phosphates, arsenates, vanadates
    Subclass : Hydrated phosphates
    Crystal system : Triclinic
    Chemistry : MnFe2(PO4)2(OH)2 8H2O
    Rarity : Uncommon

Laueite is a secondary phosphate resulting from the alteration of triphylite in complex granitic pegmatites. It is a polymorph of stewartite and pseudolaueite. It was named in honor of Max Theodor Felix von Laue, a German physicist from the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Munich. In 1912 he discovered the X-ray diffraction by crystals and received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1914. Laueite forms beveled tabular prismatic crystals of 3 mm maximum, of an amber yellow to reddish orange hue.

Main photo : Laueite from Palermo N°1 Mine, New Hampshire, USA © David L. Busha

Laueite from Hagendorf pegmatites, Bavaria, Germany © Stephan Wolfsried
Laueite from Hagendorf pegmatites, Bavaria, Germany © Stephan Wolfsried
Laueite from Fonte da Cal Mine, Sabugal, Portugal © Pedro Alves
Laueite from Collioure pegmatite, Pyrénées-Orientales, France © Serge Lavarde

Laueite in the World

Many specimens of laueite come from the American phosphate pegmatites of South Dakota (Tip-Top, Etta, Hesnard, White Elephant...), Maine (Greenwood, Buckfield...), New Hampshire (Fletcher, Palermo 1 and 2...), etc... Good specimens have also been discovered in the pegmatites of Tsaobis near Karibib (Namibia), Sabugal (Portugal), and in those of the Galiléia region (Minas Gerais, Brazil).

Laueite in France

In France, laueite is reported in the pegmatites of Collioure (Pyrénées-Orientales).

Twinning

No twins known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes recorded for this mineral species.


Hardness : 3
Density : 2.44 to 2.49
Fracture : Irregular to sub-conchoidal
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.588 to 1.682
Birefringence : 0.075
Optical character : Biaxial -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : Acids

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None