Inesite is a hydrous calcium manganese silicate mineral.[5]  Its chemical formula is Ca2Mn7Si10O28(OH)2•5(H2O). Inesite is an inosilicate with a triclinic crystal system. It has a Mohs hardness of 5.5 to 6, and a specific gravity of 3.0. Its name originates from the Greek Ίνες (ines), "fibers" in allusion to its color and habit. [3]

Inesite
Inesite Crystals from Fengjishan Mine (Daye Copper Mine), Edong Mining District, Daye County, Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China.
General
CategoryInosilicates
Formula
(repeating unit)
Ca2Mn7Si10O28(OH)2•5(H2O)
IMA symbolIns[1]
Strunz classification09.DL.05
Dana classification66.3.3.1
Crystal systemTriclinic
Space groupP1 (no.2)
Identification
ColorRose red, pink, orange-pink, orange-red-brown
Crystal habitMassive, fibrous, radial, spherical
CleavagePerfect
FractureIrregular/Uneven
TenacityBrittle
Mohs scale hardness5.5 - 6
LusterVitreous, Silky
StreakWhite
DiaphaneityTranslucent
Specific gravity3.0
Ultraviolet fluorescenceNon-fluorescent
Common impuritiesFe, Al, Mg, K
References[2][3][4]

Occurrence and distribution

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Inesite occurs in hydrothermal replacement deposits of manganese-rich metamorphic rocks and serpentines.[6]  It was first described in 1887 at Hilfe Gottes Mine, Oberscheld, Dillenburg, Dillenburg District, Hesse, Germany. Outside of the type locality, there are several notable localities of inesite, such as:[7][8]

  • Fengjishan Mine (Daye Copper Mine), Edong Mining District, Daye County, Huangshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, China.

References

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  1. ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. ^ Dave Barthelmy. "Inesite Mineral Data". webmineral.com. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  3. ^ a b "Inesite: Mineral information, data and localities". mindat.org. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  4. ^ Wan, C.; Ghose, S. (1978). "Inesite, a hydrated calcium manganese silicate with five-tetrahedral-repeat double chains". American Mineralogist. 63: 563–571.
  5. ^ Chesterman, Charles (1978). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks And Minerals. Knopf. p. 592.
  6. ^ The Mineral Inesite
  7. ^ "Inesite" (PDF). 18 August 2001. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  8. ^ http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM53/AM53_1614.pdf Inesite From the Broken Hill Lode, New South Wales, Australia