Halotrichite, a member of the halotrichite group, found in Mont Saint-Hilaire is one of the rarest minerals in Canada.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is usually white.
Luster is silky.
Diaphaneity is transparent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; P2/m.
Crystal Habits include very fine bent silky fibers to 2mm.
Cleavage not observed.
Fracture is not apparent.
Hardness is 1.5
Specific Gravity is approximately 1.95 g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include albite, pyrite, siderite and sphalerite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit.
Origin: Named in 1839 from the Latin halotrichum, hair salt,
alluding to its silky hairlike habit.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:313-314 (1990), Dana 8:617 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

MSH     PE     AP     MX     SS     MC     HF     BR     SX     FR
¤¤¤       —       ¤¤       —         —       —         —        —         —       — 

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Normandite, a member of the låvenite group, mineral species originally found at MSH in 1980 and described in 1997. It was originally designated as UK #59.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is usually orange to orange-brown, yellow in fine fibers.
Luster is vitreous.
Diaphaneity is translucent to transparent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; P2₁/a.
Crystal Habits include aggregates of acicular crystals to 10mm,
patches of fibrous crystals and euhedral crystals to 10mm.
Cleavage {100} and {001} are distinct.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 5 – 6.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.5 g/cm³.
Streak is white to very pale yellow.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, cancrinite, catapleiite,
donnayite, eudialyte, kupletskite, microcline, natrolite, nepheline,
rinkite and villiaumite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit.
Origin: Named in 1997 after Charles Normand, Canadian amateur
mineralogist who discovered the species.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
CanMin 35:1035-1039 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

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Andradite, a member of the garnet mineral species, occurs at MSH in miaroletic cavities and rarely in marble xenoliths.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is usually dark to pale-olive green, brownish green and
yellow-green.
Luster is vitreous.
Diaphaneity is translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is isometric; Ia3d.
Crystal Habits include sharp dodecahedra to 8mm and small
clusters of crystals.
Cleavage: none observed.
Fracture is subconchoidal.
Hardness is 6.5 – 7.5
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.8 g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include barite, grossular, pectolite and
sodalite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit and luster.
Origin: Named in 1868 for Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva
(1763-1838), Brazilian statesman and geologist who first
examined and described the mineral.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:296 (1990), Dana 8:1044-1046 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

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Datolite, a member of the gadolinite group, is on the list of rear minerals found in Canada.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color varies from pale yellow to greenish-yellow and white.
Luster is vitreous and dull on spheres.
Diaphaneity: transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; P2₁/a.
Crystal Habits include excellent short prismatic crystals to 20mm
and spheres with radiating internal structure to 1mm.
Cleavage none observed.
Fracture is uneven to conchoidal.
Hardness is 5 – 5.5
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.0 g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include albite, amphibole group, apophyllite
series, chlorite group, fluorite, hibschite and pectolite.
Distinguishing Features: Color and lack of cleavage.
Origin: Named in 1806 from the Greek datyshai, to divide, alluding
to the granular habit of massive specimens.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:305 (1990), Dana 8:1121-1122 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

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Grossular, a member of the garnet group, minerals species found in Canada.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is usually bright orange to orange-brown or reddish brown.
Luster is vitreous to adamantine.
Diaphaneity is transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is isometric; Ia3d.
Crystal Habits include sharp trapezohedrons to 10mm.
Cleavage none.
Fracture is subconchoidal.
Hardness is 7.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.6 g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include albite, allanite, calcite, epidote,
fluorite, microcline, molybdenite, prehnite, pyroxene group,
pyrrhotite and titanite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit and luster.
Origin: Named in 1811 for its ressemblance to pale green
specimens of the gooseberry, whose botanical name is
Ribes grossularia.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:313 (1990),Dana 8:1046-1048 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

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Hedenbergite, a member of the pyroxene mineral species, is rare at Saint Hilaire. It is difficult to distinguish visually from the other members of the pyroxene group.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is usually colorless to pale yellow.
Luster is vitreous to resinous.
Diaphaneity is transparent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; C2/c.
Crystal Habits include radiating prismatic crystals to 3mm.
Cleavage {110} is distinct and {010} is imperfect.
Fracture is uneven to conchoidal.
Hardness is 6.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.6 g/cm³.
Streak is white to grayish-white.
Associated Minerals include albite, calcite and microcline.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit.
Origin: Named in 1819 after M.A. Ludwig Hedenberg, Swedish
chemist and coworker of Berzelius, who analyzed and described
the mineral.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:314 (1990), Dana 8:1298-1299 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

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Berthierine, a member of the kaolinite-serpentine group, is found as pseudomorphs at MSH. It is a pseudomorph after a mineral with a layered structure, possibly part of the mica group, minerals mined in Canada.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is usually greenish yellow, yellow or brown.
Luster is dull.
Diaphaneity is translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; Cm.
Crystal Habits include sharp pseudo-hexagonal prismatic
pseudomorphs to 5mm terminated with pinacoid.
Cleavage {001} is perfect.
Fracture is uneven.
Hardness is 2 – 2.5.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.5 g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, allanite, apophyllite series,
calcite, microcline, natrolite, rhodochrosite and titanite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit and color.
Origin: Named in 1832 after Pierre Berthier (1782-1861),
French chemist.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:299 (1990), Dana 8:1423-1424 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

MSH          PE          AP          MX          SS           MC          HF           BR          SX          FR
¤¤¤            —             ¤¤            —             —             —              —               —             —             —  

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Willemite is an extremely rare mineral species at MSH. It fluoresces brilliant green under SW and LW; it displays a strong dull green phosphorescence.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color ranges from beige, pale gray and pale blue on larger crystals
and usually colorless on smaller crystals.
Luster is dull to greasy.
Diaphaneity is transparent in smaller crystals, translucent to
opaque on larger crystals.
Crystal System is hexagonal; R3.
Crystal Habits include hexagonal prisms to 3mm terminated by
small pyramids and pinacoids (exceptionally to 10cm).
Cleavage {001} and {110} are good.
Fracture is conchoidal to uneven.
Hardness is 5.5
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.1g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, analcime, ancylite,
catapleiite, fluorite, mangan-neptunite, microcline, polylithionite,
rhodochrosite and sphalerite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit and its fluorescence.
Origin: Named in 1830 after William I (1772-1843), King of The Netherlands.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:346 (1990), Dana 8:1022 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

MSH          PE          AP          MX          SS           MC          HF           BR          SX          FR
¤¤¤            ¤¤           —             —             —              —             —              —             —             —  

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The occurrence of halite at Mont Saint-Hilaire is exceedingly rare mineral in Canada. It is found as a white flaky alteration with UK #81 and an undetermined sulfate mineral on UK #81.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is usually white.
Luster is vitreous to earthy.
Diaphaneity is translucent to opaque.
Crystal System is isometric; Fm3m.
Crystal Habits include pure white flaky alterations up to 0.5mm thick.
Cleavage {001} is perfect.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 2.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.2 g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, sérandite, sodalite, ussingite,
vuonnemite and UK #81. Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit.
Origin: Named in antiquity from the Greek hals, salt.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:313 (1990), Dana 8:373-375 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

MSH          PE          AP          MX          SS           MC          HF           BR          SX          FR
¤¤¤            —             —             —              —              —             —              —            ¤¤             —  

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Hibschite is part rare rear minerals in Canada, at Mont Saint-Hilaire. It is often cited as hydrogrossular.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color varies from pale green, grayish-white and yellow-brown.
Luster is vitreous.
Diaphaneity is transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is isometric; Ia3d.
Crystal Habits include octahedral crystals in stacked aggregates.
Cleavage is absent.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 7.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.2 g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include götzenite, pectolite, tadzhikite and
vesuvianite.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit.
Origin: Named in 1905 after Joseph Emanuel Hibsch, Teschen,
Bohemia who found the original specimen.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
Dana 8:1051-1052 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

MSH          PE          AP          MX          SS           MC          HF           BR          SX          FR
¤¤¤            —             —             —             —               —             —              —             —             —  

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