Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56247090" class="extiw" title="d:Q56247090"><span title="mineral collector and dealer">Robert M. Lavinsky</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
orthorhombicuncommonSilicates (Zeolite group)
Natrolite
Na₂Al₂Si₃O₁₀·2H₂O
This specimen features a beautiful druse of delicate, radiating, acicular white Natrolite crystals forming a spherical or hemispherical aggregate.
Natrolite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
5Crystal System
orthorhombicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
perfect on {110}Fracture
unevenSpecific Gravity
2.25Colors
white, colorless, yellowish, reddishTransparency
transparentType Locality
Nashik District, Maharashtra, IndiaMineral Group
Silicates (Zeolite group)Uses
collector, industrial (adsorbent, catalyst, ion-exchange)Associated Minerals
apophyllite, stilbite, heulandite, chabazite, prehnite, calcite, quartzRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Natrolite commonly forms in the cavities (vesicles) of basaltic volcanic rocks and other basic igneous rocks, typically as a product of low-temperature hydrothermal alteration.
