WAGNERITE

    Class : Phosphates, arsenates, vanadates
    Subclass : Anhydrous Phosphates
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : (Mg,Fe)2(PO4)F
    Rarity : Uncommon to fairly common

Wagnerite is a double phosphate of iron and magnesium found in medium to steep grade metamorphic rocks ; it is rare in pegmatites. It frequently contains traces of Fe2+ and calcium in place of magnesium. It was named in honor of F. M. von Wagner, a mining manager in Munich. Wagnerite forms vertically striated prismatic crystals, often with complex shapes (over 30 forms recorded), as well as granular masses. It is usually yellow to yellow-brown in color, but can take on a variety of colors (gray, pale green, flesh pink to brick red).

Main photo : Wagnerite from Höllgraben, Werfen, Salzburg, Austria © Rock Currier

Wagnerite in the World

Wagnerite is a relatively common phosphate, occurring in a variety of metamorphic environments. Southern Norway, with the localities of Bamble and Porsgrunn, has yielded the largest known crystals, measuring up to 20 cm. It is a common mineral in the chlorite-lazulite quartz veins of the Austrian district of Werfen (Salzburg), and in the Silverberg magnetite mine (Bavaria, Germany). It is also known, among other places, in the sillimanite-garnet gneisses of Benson (New York), in the lavas of Vesuvius (Italy), and in the Mangualde pegmatite (Portugal).

Right photo : Wagnerite from Caspar Quarry, Ettringen, Eifel, Germany © Volker Betz

Wagnerite in France

In France, wagnerite is known in the pegmatite of Argelès-sur-Mer (Pyrénées-Orientales).

Twinning

No twinning known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 5 to 5.5
Density : 3.15
Fracture : Conchoidal to sub-conchoidal
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.568 to 1.582
Birefringence : 0.046
Optical character : Biaxial +
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : Acids

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None

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