STRUNZITE

    Class : Phosphates, arsenates, vanadates
    Subclass : Hydrated phosphates
    Crystal system : Triclinic
    Chemistry : MnFe2(PO4)2(OH)2 6H2O
    Rarity : Rare to uncommon

Strunzite is a secondary phosphate of granitic pegmatites. It comes from the alteration of primary phosphates such as triphylite or lithiophilite, and usually accompanies other secondary phosphates (heterosite, purpurite, eosphorite). It was named in honor of Hugo Strunz, Professor of Mineralogy at the Technical University of Berlin (Germany). Strunzite forms thin, flattened needles, white to straw yellow, measuring up to 2 cm, gathered in divergent bundles or tufts.

Main photo : Strunzite from Collioure pegmatites, Pyrénées-Orientales, France © Douglas Merson

Strunzite in the World

Many specimens of strunzite come from American phosphate pegmatites from South Dakota (Tip Top, Hesnard, Etta, etc.), Maine (Newry, Red Hill), New Hampshire (Fletscher, Palermo, Newport), etc. ... Good specimens have also been found in the pegmatites of Hagendorf (Germany) as well as in those of Sabugal and Mangualde (Portugal).

Right photo : Strunzite from Hagendorf pegmatites, Germany © Volker Betz


Strunzite in France

In France, strunzite is known in the pegmatites of Chanteloube (Haute-Vienne), in those of Collioure (Pyrénées-Orientales) and in the Cirque de Pénitence (Ariège).

Twinning

Twinning is common on {1-20}.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 4
Density : 2.52
Fracture : Fibrous
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.619 to 1.720
Birefringence : 0.077 to 0.095
Optical character : Biaxial -
Pleochroism : Low
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : -

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None

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