‘Table 4.6 Mineral properties m igneous rock hand specimens ‘Mineral Typical chemical ‘Colour Cleavage Lustre Habit Hardness formula Fete minerals , - Quartz SiO, Colourless to pale None; irtegular, Glassy, shiny Rare trigonal pyramids but 7 grey when sur- or curved usualy iregular, rounded by dark fracture anhedral A minerals; trans- surfaces parent Alkali (K,Na)AISiO5, ‘White or pink, 2 sets at 90°, Usually dull, ‘Tabular crystals; shiny 6 feldspar sometimes orange poorly visible sometimes silky cleavage surfaces or yellow or vitreous may show simple twins, longate rectangular ‘laths’, lamellae, or ieregular masses of plagioclase may benoted, in which case the crystal iscermed a perthite Plagioclase —NaAlSiyO, to White or green, 2 sets almost Usually dull, Lath-shaped crystals; 66.5 feldspar CaAl,Si:0s rarely pink or at 90°, poorly sometimes silky _ shiny cleavage surfaces| black visible oF vitreous may show multiple, parallel twins Nepheline NaAISiO, White to pale 2 poor cleavages, Greasy, Usually occurs in micro- 5.56 erey t occasionally vitreous crystalline groundmasss distinct occasional aggregates of crystals Muscovite —KAL(AISis0,.4OH), —_Colourless to 1 excellent Shiny, silver Tabular crystals sometimes 2-2.5 (mica) pale brown or cleavage, cleaves and pearly 6-sided, especially in green inwo thin flexible pegmatives sheets ‘Mafic minerals Olivine (Mg,Fe),SiO, Olive green, ‘Very poor, Glassy when fresh, Usually rounded anhedral 6-7 yellow-green, usually fractures vitreous when crystals, occasionally sometimes brown akered equidimensional tabular forms Pyroxene @ (Mg,Fe,Ca),Six0, Black to dark 2 good sets Vitreous when 4+ or 8-sided prismatic 6 (augite, ete.) green or brown } meeting at fresh, dull when crystals occasionally (ii) NaFeSizO, ‘Yellowish-green | — 87°/93° altered showing clewage or 8S (acgirine) ‘Aegirine more acicular Amphibole (i) Ca,(Mg,Fe)sSisQx. Black to brownish )2 good sets Vitreous when Prismatic orlozenge-shaped 5-6 (OH); (eg, tremolite) black or dark green} meeting at fresh, dull crystals often showing (il) NexFey"*Fep'"Siq_— Dark blue sernnza? when akered cleavage E=3 or On(OH), (riebeckite) Riebeckite more acicular Biotite K(Mg,Fe),(AISi;0,.) Black to dark 1 excellent Very shiny Thin tabular crystals, 25-3 (mica) (OH), brown or green cleavage; cleaves ‘occasionally 6-sided, into thin flexible especially in ignimbrites and sheets acid lavas Tourmaline Na(Mg,Fe)yAlB;SisQ,2. Black, but varieties Very poor Vitreous shiny Long thin prismatic needle- 7 (OHF. may be blue, red shaped erystals, sometimes or green longitudinally striated and often in clusters; ‘occasionally seriaed curved surfaces: Frequent accessory minerals Apatite Cas(PO,)(OH) Pale green to Very poor Vitreous Often euhedral, sub- 5 yellow green hexagonal crystals; commonly rounded Sphene CaTisiO(OH), Colourless to 1 good Vitreous Characteristic <-> 5 yellow, green or cleavage ‘euhedral rhombic crystals taeSE ee PEE FER een Gp sane ee eee Semen e Mineral Typical chemical Colour Cleavage Tastee Fabie Hardness formula Frequent Accessory Minerals (contd) Garnet (MgFe))ALS,0,. Red, brown or Poor Usually Equidimensional crystals 6-7 {also Ca, Mn) yellow resinous or dull, often showing faces typical good crystals of cubic system, eg. may be glassy dodecahedra and trapezo- hedra, Common in mets- pranites. Leucite KASS White or grey None Vitreous or Often euhedral 56 resinous trapezohedral crystals in alkaline lavas Hematite Fe, Red to red-brown, None Dull Usually fine and powdery, 55-6 sometimes black occasionally sely or fibrous crystals Magnetite, —Fe,Ox Black, brownish- Poor Measllc, dull Small equidimensional 55 (spinel black granular crystals, occasional mineral) cubes or octahedra (Other spinels are M2*M}*O, where M?* is Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn, ete, and M'* is Al, Fe, Cr, ete. e.g, dark brown to black chromite, FeCrzO., which occurs in some peridottes) Tinenite FTO (CeLa,Th)PO, Monazite Secondary minerals (See also Table 8.2) Cakeite CaCO, Zeolite eg. (NazCa) (AL:Sis0y0). ‘group nO (jn vaties from 2 wo 8) Clay group Fpidote _CaFe'*AL,Si,0(OH) Chlorite (Mg, Al,Fe\(Si,AlhOro (OH), Pyrite FeS; Black, brownish black or grey Pale yellow to dark brown White, ‘twanslucent White, pale yellow or pale green, rarely pink, ced or blue White to pale browns and greens Pale yellows and apple green, rarely brown o eed Mid-green 10 dark greenish: yellow Brassy yellow, eeasionally brown or bic None Metalic or dull Moderate Resinous single cleavage 3 sets Vitreous, thombohedral rarely glassy Variable Usually vitreous according to or silky mineral type Good, but not Dull visible in hand specimens 1 good Vitreous cleavage 1 good cleavage Dull to peatly gives thin sheets and ‘miesceous’ Poor Metallic; iridescent tarnish Thin plates or scales ually elongate crystals, sometimes rod-like Thick tabular crystals in granites and gneisses 56 555 Usually granular or fibrous 3 in igneous rocks, common in veins, cavities, et, [NB Renets with diluce acid Massive or granular erystals lining cavities, particularly, amyedales; radiating fibrous cluscers or needles Fine powdery aggregates 1 replacing mainly feldspar in igneous rocks Variable, often elongated crystals, needles and radiating groups, coarsely crystalline varieties in hydrothermal veins and vesicles o7 Usually aggregates of fine crystals, sometimes thin tabular Hlakes replacing mafic minerals in igneous rocks Often good cubic crystal faces, occasionally striated, Granular aggregates, paricully along veins in igneous rocks 665