WÖHLERITE
Class : Silicates
Subclass : Sorosilicates
Crystal system : Monoclinic
Chemistry : Na2Ca4ZrNb(Si2O7)2(O,F)4
Rarity : Uncommon to fairly common
Wöhlerite is a complex silicate of silica-undersaturated alkaline rocks, mainly carbonatites, fenites, nepheline syenites and their pegmatites. It was named in honor of the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler, Professor at the University of Göttingen (Germany). Wöhlerite is a yellow to light brown, sometimes gray, mineral that forms prismatic or tabular crystals of rectangular appearance not exceeding 3 cm.
Main photo : Wöhlerite from Torbjørnsås Quarry, Norway © Knut Edvard Larsen
Wöhlerite in the World
Twinning
Twinning is common on {010}.
Fakes and treatments
No fakes listed for this mineral species.
Hardness : 5.5 to 6
Density : 3.40 to 3.44
Fracture : Irregular
Streak : Light yellow
TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.700 to 1.728
Birefringence : 0,026
Optical character : Biaxial -
Pleochroism : Low
Fluorescence : None
Solubility : -
Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None