Scorzalite
Scorzalite is a rare phosphate mineral that was only recognized as a distinct mineral in 1947. Scorzalite is a solid solution series with Lazulite. A solid solution series is a set of two or more minerals that have a couple of elements that substitute freely for each other. The Lazulite-Scorzalite series ranges from the magnesium-rich Lazulite to the iron rich Scorzalite. The main differences between Lazulite and Scorzalite are that Scorzalite is usually a bit darker blue, less transparent and more dense than Lazulite.
Scorzalite is found in many localities worldwide including the Corrego Frio pegmatite mine, Divino das Laranjeiras, near Linópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In the USA, at the Victory mine, four km northeast of Custer, Custer County, and the White Cap mine, three km south of Keystone, Pennington County, South Dakota; in the Palermo #1 mine, near North Groton, Grafton County, and the G.E. Smith mine, Newport, New Hampshire; at the Bumpus Quarry, Albany, Oxford County, Maine; at the Champion mine, Mono County, California; from McIntyre Creek, about four km west of Glendevey, Larimer County, Colorado. In the Buranga and Rusororo pegmatites, Gatumba district, Rwanda. At Jebilet, Morocco. From Hålsjöberget, Värmland, and in the Norrö pegmatite, on Rånö Island, Sweden. At Hagendorf, Bavaria, Germany. Other localities are reported, but chemical analyses would be desirable.
| Category: | Phosphate minerals |
| Formula: | (Fe2+,Mg)Al2(OH,PO4)2 |
| Crystallography: | Monoclinic – Prismatic |
| Crystal Habit: | Crystals dipyramidal, also massive, to 7 cm |
| Twinning: | Multiple, lamellar |
| Cleavage: | [110] Good, [101] Indistinct |
| Fracture: | Irregular/Uneven |
| Tenacity: | Brittle |
| Hardness (Mohs): | 6.0 |
| Density: | 3.33 (g/cm3) |
| Luminescence: | None |
| Radioactivity: | Not Radioactive |
| Other: | S |
| Color: | Dark Blue, Greenish Blue |
| Transparency: | Translucent to Opaque |
| Luster: | Vitreous, Dull |
| Refractive Index: | 1.6 – 1.680 Biaxial ( – ) |
| Birefringence: | 0.0330 – 0.0410 |
| Dispersion: | Perceptible; r < v |
| Pleochroism: | Visible. X = colorless; Y = Z = blue |
