Image: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mindat.org/user-2830.html#0">John Sobolewski</a> (JSS) (CC BY 3.0)

cubiccommonSilicates (Zeolite Group)

Analcime

Na(AlSi₂O₆)·H₂O

This image displays a cluster of well-formed, white to off-white analcime crystals, exhibiting their characteristic trapezohedral habit and a vitreous luster.

Analcime Physical Properties

Mohs Hardness

Crystal System

cubic

Luster

vitreous

Streak Color

white

Cleavage

poor/indistinct on {100}

Fracture

uneven to conchoidal

Specific Gravity

2.25

Colors

white, colorless, gray, pink, red, yellow, green

Transparency

transparent to translucent

Type Locality

Bay of Fundy, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada

Mineral Group

Silicates (Zeolite Group)

Uses

collector, minor industrial (ion exchange, molecular sieves)

Associated Minerals

stilbite, heulandite, chabazite, calcite, apophyllite

Rarity

common

Geological Context

Analcime is a common zeolite mineral typically found in the vesicles and cavities of basaltic and other volcanic rocks. It can also occur in some sedimentary rocks and low-grade metamorphic environments, forming from the alteration of feldspars.

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Related Specimens

Acanthite

Colemanite

Aragonite

Hematite

Natrolite

Kyanite