Catapleiite
Catapleiite is just a very rare Zirconium mineral that is rarely available as a treasure that is faceted. There are just a few sources of Catapleiite round the world nevertheless the source that is main of crystals is Mt. Saint Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. Crystals are small so gems are really small.
Catapleiite is rom that is available Island as well as other localities across the Langesundsfjord, and at Bratthagen, Norway. In the USA, at Magnet Cove, Hot Springs County, and from Granite Mountain, near Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas; in the Rocky Boy stock, Bearpaw Mountains, Hill County, Montana; at Wind Mountain, Otero County, New Mexico. In Canada, in Quebec, large crystals at Mont Saint-Hilaire, from the Miron quarry, Montreal, and near Saint-Amable; along the Ice River valley, 25 km south of Field, British Columbia. In the Ilímaussaq intrusion, at Narssârssuk, together with Kangderdlugssuaq Fjord, Greenland. From the Norra Kärr complex, near Gränna, Sweden. In Russia, within the Khibiny and Lovozero massifs, Kola Peninsula, and the Inagli massif, 30 west that is km of, Yakutia. On the Los Islands, Guinea.
| Chemical Formula: | Na2ZrSi3O9·2(H2O) |
| Hydrated Sodium Zirconium Silicate | |
| Molecular Weight: | 414.57 gm |
| Composition: | Sodium | 5.55 % | Na | 7.48 % | Na2O |
| Calcium | 8.70 % | Ca | 12.17 % | CaO | |
| Zirconium | 22.00 % | Zr | 29.72 % | ZrO2 | |
| Silicon | 20.32 % | Si | 43.48 % | SiO2 | |
| Hydrogen | 0.97 % | H | 8.69 % | H2O | |
| Oxygen | 42.45 % | O | |||
| 100.00 % | 100.00 % | = TOTAL OXIDE |
| Crystallography: | Monoclinic – Prismatic |
| Crystal Habit: | Crystals pseudohexagonal, thin tabular, to 15 cm; as rosettes of crystal plates. |
| Twinning: | Polysynthetically twinned at 30º, 60º, and 90º. |
| Cleavage: | Perfect on {100}, Imperfect on {101} and {102} |
| Fracture: | Conchoidal |
| Tenacity: | Brittle |
| Moh’s Hardness: | 5.5 – 6.0 |
| Density: | 2.65 – 2.90 (g/cm3) |
| Luminescence: | Fluorescent; green under SW UV and LW UV |
| Radioactivity: | Not Radioactive |
| Color: | Colorless, White, light Yellow to Yellowish Brown, pale Brown, Grayish Blue, Violet; Colorless in thin section |
| Transparency: | Transparent to Translucent |
| Luster: | Weakly vitreous or dull |
| Refractive Index: | 1.582 – 1.639 Biaxial (+); may be Uniaxial (+) |
| Birefringence: | 0.0360 |
| Dispersion: | Moderate; r < v |
| Pleochroism: | None |
