Cordierite is rare at MSH.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
- Color is usually white or pale gray.
- Luster is vitreous to greasy.
- Diaphaneity is transparent to translucent.
- Crystal System is orthorhombic; Cccm.
- Crystal Habits include small embedded grains.
- Cleavage {100} is moderate, while {001} and {010} are poor.
- Fracture is conchoidal to uneven.
- Hardness is 7.
- Specific Gravity is approximately 2.6 g/cm3.
- Streak is white.
- Associated Minerals include ??.
- Distinguishing Features: Crystal habits.
- Origin: Named in 1813 after Pierre Louis Antoine Cordier (1777-1862),
French geologist who described the mineral.
| Dana class # | 61.2.1.1 – Cyclosilicates; six-membered rings; beryl – cordierite group |
| Strunz class # | VIII/E.12-40 – Silicates; cyclosilicates, six rings [Si6O18]12- ; beryl series |