Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126871365" class="extiw" title="d:Q126871365"><span title="photographer from the United States">Shannon Heinle</span></a></bdi> (CC0)
monoclinicuncommonSilicates
Spodumene
LiAlSi2O6
A large, blocky, whitish-grey crystal of spodumene, approximately 9 cm across, exhibiting typical form for the mineral.
Spodumene Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
6.5Crystal System
monoclinicLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
perfect on {110} and {110} at 87°, good on {100}Fracture
uneven to conchoidalSpecific Gravity
3.1Colors
white, grey, colorless, pink, green, yellow, purpleTransparency
transparent to translucentType Locality
Black Hills, South DakotaMineral Group
SilicatesUses
lithium source, jewelry, collectorAssociated Minerals
quartz, feldspar, lepidolite, beryl, tourmalineRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Spodumene forms in lithium-rich granitic pegmatites, which are coarse-grained igneous rocks, often associated with late-stage magmatic crystallization.
