8-fold co-ordination; Y (Mg, Fe 2+, Fe 3+, Al) is the content of the octahedral M1, M2,

M3 sites, and Z (Si, Al) the content of the tetrahedral sites.

Amphiboles show extensive solid solution indicating the operation of numerous
exchange vectors in this mineral group (in other words, amphiboles are pretty much
compositional "garbage cans"). The composition of the Na-Ca-Al solid-solution series
relating the blue amphiboles (e.g. glaucophane) , the aluminous amphiboles
(hornblendes) and the sodic hornblendes (edenite, pargasite) to the key component
tremolite can be described with just three exchange vectors : AlviAlivMgvi-1Siiv-1,
Naviii Alvi Caviii-1Mgvi-1, and NaA Aliv Siiv-1vA-1 (where v stands for vacancy, and A is a
large but variably coordinated site that is often vacant - o solamente parcialmente
ocupado):

 tremolite - vA Caviii 2 Mgvi5 Siiv8O22(OH) 2

 glaucophane - vA NaviiiCaviiiMgvi4AlviSiiv8O22(OH) 2
 hornblende - vA Caviii2Mgvi4AlviAlivSiiv7O22(OH) 2
 edenite - NaA Caviii2Mgvi5AlivSiiv7O22(OH) 2
 pargasite - Na A Caviii2Mgvi4AlviAliv2Siiv6O22(OH)2
 tschermakite - vA Caviii2Mgvi3Alvi2Aliv2Siiv6O22(OH)2

(note that two further dimensional to the amphibole compositional space are implied by
the FeMg-1, K Na-1 exchange vectors - making a 5-d compositional space!)

Note that the precise form of the exchange vectors that can be used to describe the
compositional space is not unique, and can easily be modified as shown below.