HEULANDITE – (Ca,Na,K)5(Si27Al9)O72.

26H2O
Heulandite is a tectosilicate of the Zeolite Group. It is a very common mineral, abundant in certain
situations. It has great importance as an ore when it occurs cryptocrystalline, but when it occurs hydrothermal,
in larger crystals, it has only some importance as a collection mineral.
“Heulandite” is actually not a mineral, but just an informal term for a group of minerals in the Heulandite
Group, which includes heulandite-Ca, heulandite-Na, heulandite-Ba, heulandite-K and heulandite-Sr.
Heulandite-Ca is very common; the others are very rare to extremely rare. It is not possible to differentiate the
“heulandites” under the petrographic microscope.
It can be triclinic due to the Al-Si ordering. It forms a series with clinoptilolite-Ca. There is a variety,
“beaumontite”, which has orthorhombic shapes and is usually golden in color.

1. Characteristics:
The characteristics below refer to Ca-heulandite, which is the most common.
Crystal System Color Habit Cleavage
Monoclinic Colorless, white, more Tabular, coffin-shaped {010} perfect.
prismatic. rarely red, green, brown (trapezoidal). Granular,
Tenacity or yellow. massive. Idiomorphy is
common.
Brittle.
Twinning Fracture Mohs Hardness Parting
On the {100} plan. Irregular, conchoidal. 3.5 - 4 No.
Streak Lustre Diaphaneity Density (g/cm3)
White. Vitreous, pearly on Transparent. 2.1 – 2.2
cleavage planes.

2. Geology and deposits:

Heulandite occurs as a filling of cavities in basaltic rocks (basalts, diabases, gabbros), acidic volcanic
rocks (rhyolites, rhyodacites, dacites) and andesites. It can also occur associated with serpentinites,
pegmatites and active hydrothermal systems.
It is formed as a product of devitrification of volcanic glasses and tuffs, when it constitutes ore. It
integrates the zeolite facies of regional metamorphic rocks and may constitute the diagenetic matrix of
sandstones.
A detailed account of the occurrence, forms and other details of heulandite can be found in the book
“Zeolites of the World” by Rudy Tschernich, available for download on the internet. Detailed information on the
various ways in which heulandite occurs can be found on the website of the Commission on Natural Zeolites:
http://www.iza-online.org/ .

3. Mineral Associations:
Heulandite occurs with the minerals that form the host rocks, generally mafic and intermediate igneous
rocks: olivines, clinopyroxenes (augite, pigeonite), plagioclases (labradorite), magnetite, ilmenite, chalcopyrite,
pyrite, native copper and alteration minerals such as goethite, covellite, cuprite, malachite and others.
It is part of the assembly of secondary minerals common in basaltic rock cavities, such as quartz
(including amethyst variety), chalcedony, calcite, powellite, prehnite, datolite, babingtonite, fluorapophyllite,
clay minerals (celadonite) and others. Other zeolites such as laumontite, chabazite-(Ca), mordenite, okenite,
analcima, stilbite-Ca, scolecite and gyrolite can also be found in these cavities.
4. TRANSMITTED LIGHT MICROSCOPY
Refraction indices nα: 1.496 – 1.499 nβ: 1.497 – 1.500 nγ: 1.501 – 1.505

PPL Color / pleochroism: Colorless. It may appear reddish due to Fe oxide inclusions.

Relief: Low to moderate.

Cleavage: {010} perfect.

Habits: tabular to elongated crystals, wider at the center and narrower at both ends:
“coffin-shaped” (trapezoidal). It forms subparallel aggregates. Perfect
cleavage can result in holes in the thin sections where portions of
heulandite from sections perpendicular to the cleavage were torn off during
the making of the thin section.

CPL Birefringence and birefringence of 0.005 to 0.009, corresponding to 1st order medium colors:
interference colors: gray in various shades and white, not reaching straw yellow.

Extinction: oblique, angle between 0 and 32º.

Sections with the {010} cleavage vertically show parallel extinction.
Sections parallel to {010} show no cleavage, have oblique extinction to
form, and show very low birefringence (dark gray colors).

Elongation sign: ES(-)

Twins: Form twins along the {100} plane.

Zoning: No, but sectorizing is very common.

CL Character: B(+). It can simulate being uniaxial. 2V angle: 0 – 55º, usually between 10º – 48º,
more commonly between 30º – 34º.

Alterations: heulandite alters to clay minerals and other zeolites.

May be confused with: several other zeolites, see table below.

Scolecite and laumontite are B(-).
Stilbite has other twins and other habits (bow-tie-shaped radiated aggregates).
Natrolite exhibit parallel extinction and square basal sections.

Left: Heulandite in
CPL with typical
interference color and
shape (c axis vertical,
section 010). In PPL it
is colorless.

Right:
Close to the extinction
position, heulandite
shows twins and sub-
grains (sectorizing).
In PPL (above), heulandite
shows low relief and is
completely colorless.

Aggregate of heulandite crystals in CPL. Heulandite shows interference colors between dark gray and
white. Cleavage is sometimes difficult to visualize and idiomorphic forms are common. The image is in
the same situation as the PPL image on the top left.
Comparison between common zeolites:
- all are colorless in PPL; they never show pleochroism.
- all have low to moderate low relief.
- all can show twins, there are several different types for each zeolite.

Cleavage Habitus Color in CPL Extinc. ES CL 2V

Analcime Not visible. Roundish. Almost black. Isotropic. no no no
Max. birr.: 0,001
Chabazite {10-11} distinct. Pseudocubic Very dark gray. Symmetr. no B(+) 0-32º
(rhombic). Max. birr.: 0,006
Epistilbite {010} perfect. Prismatic Gray to white. 10º (+) B(-) 44º
(“accordion”). Max. birr.: 0,010
Harmotome (010) and (100) Rhombic. Gray. 28-32º (+/-) B(+) 79º
Max. birr.: 0,006
Heulandite {010} perfect. Tabular, Gray to white. 0-32º (-) B(+) 0-55º
(“coffin”). Max. birr.: 0,009
Laumontite 3 cleavages Prismatic Gray to straw- 8-11º (+) B(-) 26-47º
(“prism and yellow.
pinacoid”). Max. birr.: 0,012
Mesolite (110) and Fine Almost black. Oblíque (+/-) B(+) 80º
(1-10) prismatic to Max. birr: 0,001
radial fibrous.
Mordenite (100) and (010) Fibrous. Very dark gray. Parallel (+/-) B(+-) 76-90º
Max. birr.: 0,005
Natrolite {110} good Prismatic to Gray to straw- Parallel or (+) B(+) 58-64º
fibrous. yellow. symmetr.
Max. birr.: 0,012
Phillipsite (010) and Colunar. Gray to white. 11-30º (+) B(+) 60-80º
(100) Max. birr.: 0,009
Scolecite {010} perfect. Prismatic to Gray to white. 15-18º (-) B(-) 36-56º
fibrous. Max. birr.: 0,010
Stellerite {010} perfect. Prismatic. Gray to straw- Parallel ? B(-) 47º
yellow.
Max. birr.: 0,013
Stilbite {010} perfect. Tabular Gray to straw- 3-12º (+/-) B(-) 30-49º
(“bow-tie”) yellow.
Max. birr.: 0,013
Stellerite {010} perfect. Prismatic. Gray to straw- Parallel ? B(-) 47º
yellow.
Max. birr.: 0,013
Thomsonite (010) or (100) Fibrous/radial Colors up to blue. Parallel (+/-) B(+) 44-75º
Max. birr.: 0,015
Minerals that are not zeolites, but occur in the same paragenesis and that are similar:
Barite (001), perfect, Tabular, Gray to straw- Parallel (+) B(+) 36-40º
(210) and (010) chisel-like. yellow.
Max. birr :0,012
Gipsum (010), perfect, Tabular, Gray to white up to 15º (+/-) B(+) 58-19º
(100) and (011) prismatic, Max. birr.: 0,010
etc.
5. REFLECTED LIGHT MICROSCOPY:
Reflected light microscopy is not the recommended analytical method for the identification of
heulandite. However, it is important to make a polished thin section or a polished section to identify the opaque
minerals that occur associated with heulandite, like magnetite, ilmenite, hematite and copper.

Sample preparation: the polishing of heulandite is relatively simple and is of good quality. Despite the well-
developed cleavage, no polishing pits appear.

PPL Reflection color: Dark gray like quartz and feldspar, slightly lighter than the lighter gray of
calcite pleochroism colors.

Pleochroism: No.

Reflectivity: Low (<10%) Bireflectance: No.

CPL Isotropy / Anisotropy: Anisotropy was not observed.

Internal reflections: Widespread, clear to milky.

Depending on the orientation of the cleavage in relation to the plane of the
polished section, multicolored internal reflections may appear in parallel
bars, resembling twins. Random colored internal reflections are also visible
at times.

May be confused with: many other transparent, colorless or light colored minerals. It is not possible to
identify heulandite through Reflected Light.

Left: in PPL, calcite (darkest gray, lots of polishing scratches) and heulandite (lighter gray, very good
polish).
Right: the same situation in CPL. Calcite has slightly darker internal reflections. Heulandite shows clear
internal reflections in various shades of light gray and white. Both minerals have polygonal contours; it is a
cavity lining (vesicle), where the crystals were able to crystallize freely.

Edition of May 2022