Leucophanite – Saint-Hilaire

(Na,Ca)BeSi(O,OH,F)

Leucophanite is a moderately common mineral at MSH. Mont Saint-Hilaire is the source of some of the finest and largest crystals for the species.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is usually pale to lemon-yellow, white, beige, yellow-green
and pale green.
Luster is vitreous to dull.
Diaphaneity is transparent, opaque for the pseudo-cubic crystals,
rosettes and compact spheres.
Crystal System is triclinic; 1.
Crystal Habits include sharp pseudocubic crystals to 5mm, as
twinned elongated crystals to 12mm, as superb twinned square
tabular crystals to 4cm, and as rounded flakes to 2mm and rosettes.
Cleavage {001} is perfect, {100} and {010} are distinct.
Fracture is uneven.
Hardness is 4.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.96 g/cm
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, analcime, ancylite,
astrophyllite, behoite, catapleiite, epididymite, fluorite, genthelvite,
microcline, natrolite, rhabdophane, rhodochrosite and sérandite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit and color.
Origin: Named in 1840 from the Greek leukos, white, plus phainesthai
to appear, alluding to its whitish reflection in certain lights.

CLASSIFICATION:

Dana System
# 55.4.2.4

Strunz Classification
# VIII/C.02-50

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:318 (1990), Dana 8:1146 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

MSH
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