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Raite crystals
Marcelle Weber sp.
Photo by Violet Anderson
© Royal Ontario Museum
Raite crystals
Photo by Violet Anderson
© Royal Ontario Museum
Raite crystals
© Doug Merson
(Na,Ca)(Mn,Ti,Fe)Si(O,OH)24 · 9H
Raite is an extremely rare mineral at MSH.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Color is usually reddish brown, red, violet and brown.
Luster is vitreous to silky.
Diaphaneity is transparent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 222.
Crystal Habits include thin acicular crystals to 0.2mm forming
radiating aggregates to 2mm.
Cleavage {100}, {010} and {001} are perfect.
Fracture is (??).
Hardness is 3.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.4 g/cm
Streak is yellow.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, amphibole group,
analcime, ancylite, epididymite, eudialyte, lueshite, lovozerite,
natrolite, nenadkevichite, nepheline, sérandite, sodalite (hackmanite
variety), sphalerite, steenstrupine, villiaumite and vuonnemite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit.
Origin: Named in 1973 after the international group of scientists on
the 1969-1970 voyage of the papyrus ship RA, captained by
Thor Heyerdahl.
CLASSIFICATION:
Dana System
# 78.5.8.1
Strunz Classification
# VIII/F.24-30
REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:331 (1990), Dana 8:1711 (1997)
DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:
MSH
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Raite crystals
© Modris Baum
Raite crystals
© Stephan Wolfsried