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Paper No. 208-2

Presentation Time: 1:50 PM

A CRYSTALLOGRAPHICALLY SUPPORTED EQUATION FOR

CALCULATING WATER IN EMERALD FROM THE SODIUM CONTENT

HENRY, Rhiana1, GROAT, Lee A.1, EVANS, R. James1, CEMPÍREK, Jan2 and ŠKODA, Radek2, (1)Earth, Ocean and
Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada, (2)Department of Geological
Sciences, Masaryk University, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic

Emerald is the most well-recognized beryl variety (Be3Al2Si6O18), and although it has been regularly studied, a
satisfactory way of quantifying the water content within the structural channels of the crystal lattice has yet to be
proposed. Water is frequently present in the structural channels of beryl and can occur in two orientations (Type I and
Type II). While spectroscopic methods are ideal for determining the orientation of the water molecules, measuring the
overall water content often requires expensive or destructive analytical techniques. Although Na+ is necessary to
charge balance divalent cation substitutions at the Al3+ site of beryl, it is also correlated with the H2O in the structural
channels, which typically occurs as Type II water. In this study, we present equations that can be used to easily
calculate the H2O content of an emerald beryl with significant Na+ content based on either Na+ apfu, or Na2O weight
percent. Unlike previous work, these equations are derived from single crystal X-ray diffraction data which is capable of
measuring both the Na+ and H2O content accurately. We checked the validity of the data using electron probe micro
analyses for elements heavy enough to be detected. We compared the results with hypothetical scenarios in which
different cation substitutions are prevalent, as weight percentages are variable based on the elemental contents. Our
results indicate that Na+ apfu or Na2O weight percent can be used to calculate H2O content in emerald beryl with
reasonable accuracy, which will allow future researchers to use a simple calculation instead of expensive or destructive
techniques when determining H2O content in emeralds.

Session No. 208

T127. Gemological Research in the 21st Century: Gem Minerals and Localities
Thursday, 29 October 2020: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol 52, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2020AM-356212

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