Marsturite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Marsturite
Formula:
NaCaMn3Si5O14(OH)
Colour:
Tan, white to very light pink
Hardness:
6
Specific Gravity:
3.46
Crystal System:
Triclinic
Name:
Named in 1978 by Donald Peacor and Pete Dunn in honor of Marion Butler Stuart [December 21, 1921 - July 26, 2000 Hailey, Idaho, USA], of Bellevue, Idaho, USA, amateur mineral collector and benefactor of mineralogical projects.
Type Locality:
Isostructural with:
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
2581
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:2581:8
IMA Classification of Marsturite
Approved
IMA Formula:
NaCaMn2+3Si5O14(OH)
Approval year:
1977
Classification of Marsturite
9.DK.05
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
K : Inosilicates with 5-periodic single chains
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
K : Inosilicates with 5-periodic single chains
65.4.1.6
65 : INOSILICATES Single-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=1)
4 : Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1 with chains P=5
65 : INOSILICATES Single-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=1)
4 : Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1 with chains P=5
14.18.29
14 : Silicates not Containing Aluminum
18 : Silicates of Mn and Na, K, Mg, Ca or Fe
14 : Silicates not Containing Aluminum
18 : Silicates of Mn and Na, K, Mg, Ca or Fe
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Msr | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Marsturite
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent
Colour:
Tan, white to very light pink
Hardness:
6 on Mohs scale
Cleavage:
Imperfect/Fair
{100} and {001}
{100} and {001}
Density:
3.46 g/cm3 (Measured) 3.465 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Marsturite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.686(2) nβ = 1.691(1) nγ = 1.708(1)
2V:
Measured: 60° (1), Calculated: 58°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.022
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
Very High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
r > v weak
Chemistry of Marsturite
Mindat Formula:
NaCaMn3Si5O14(OH)
Element Weights:
Common Impurities:
Fe,Mg
Crystallography of Marsturite
Crystal System:
Triclinic
Class (H-M):
1 - Pinacoidal
Space Group:
P1
Cell Parameters:
a = 7.70 Å, b = 12.03 Å, c = 6.78 Å
α = 85.26°, β = 94.1°, γ = 111.04°
α = 85.26°, β = 94.1°, γ = 111.04°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.64 : 1 : 0.564
Unit Cell V:
583.57 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Comment:
Nagashima et al. (2014) give 7.697(2), 11.720(2), 6.771(1) Å, 92.40(3), 94.41(3), 106.83(3), V = 581.9(6) Å3 for a sample from the Molinello mine.
Crystal Structure
Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Show
Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
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Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
Remove metal-metal sticks
Display Options
Black Background | White Background
Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
Black Background | White Background
Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
View
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
Rotation
Stop | Start
Stop | Start
Labels
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0020225 | Marsturite | Nagashima M, Armbruster T, Kolitsch U, Pettke T (2014) The relation between Li <-> Na substitution and hydrogen bonding in five-periodic single-chain silicates nambulite and marsturite: A single-crystal X-ray study American Mineralogist 99 1462-1470 | 2014 | Molinello mine, Liguria, Italy | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
Epitaxial Relationships of Marsturite
Epitaxial Minerals:
| 'Rhodonite' | CaMn3Mn[Si5O15] |
Epitaxy Comments:
Marsturite very frequently occurs grown epitaxially on bladed rhodonite crystals (Franklin, NJ).
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| High-? alteration and/or metamorphism | |
| 32 : Ba/Mn/Pb/Zn deposits, including metamorphic deposits | |
| Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks | >3.0 |
| 34 : Complex granite pegmatites |
Type Occurrence of Marsturite
General Appearance of Type Material:
euhedral, prismatic crystals up to 0.5 mm in size
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, under catalog #127923
Geological Setting of Type Material:
As a secondary mineral in cavities in fractures traversing massive -franklinite-willemite-zincite ore in a Precambrian Zn-Mn-Fe orebody hosted in the Franklin marble.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Marsturite
Other Language Names for Marsturite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 14 photos of Marsturite associated with Rhodonite | CaMn3Mn[Si5O15] |
| 10 photos of Marsturite associated with Axinite-(Mn) | Ca2Mn2+Al2BSi4O15(OH) |
| 6 photos of Marsturite associated with Ganophyllite | (K,Na)xMn2+6(Si,Al)10O24(OH)4 · nH2O (x = 1-2; n = 7-11) |
| 5 photos of Marsturite associated with Cahnite | Ca2[B(OH)4](AsO4) |
| 5 photos of Marsturite associated with Willemite | Zn2SiO4 |
| 1 photo of Marsturite associated with Rhodochrosite | MnCO3 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 9.DK. | Ferrorhodonite | CaMn3Fe[Si5O15] |
| 9.DK. | Vittinkiite | MnMn3Mn[Si5O15] |
| 9.DK. | Ferri-hellandite-(Ce) | (Ca3Ce)Ce2Fe3+◻2B4Si4O22(OH)2 |
| 9.DK. | Shijiangshanite | Pb3CaAl(Si5O14)(OH)3 · 3H2O |
| 9.DK.05 | Nambulite | LiMn2+4Si5O14(OH) |
| 9.DK.05 | Natronambulite | (Na,Li)(Mn,Ca)4Si5O14OH |
| 9.DK.05 | Rhodonite | CaMn3Mn[Si5O15] |
| 9.DK.05 | Scandiobabingtonite | (Ca,Na)2(Fe2+,Mn)(Sc,Fe3+)Si5O14(OH) |
| 9.DK.05 | Lithiomarsturite | LiCaMn3Si5O14(OH) |
| 9.DK.05 | Manganbabingtonite | Ca2Mn2+Fe3+Si5O14(OH) |
| 9.DK.05 | Fowlerite | (Mn2+,Zn,Ca)SiO3 |
| 9.DK.05 | Babingtonite | Ca2Fe2+Fe3+Si5O14(OH) |
| 9.DK.10 | Santaclaraite | CaMn4[Si5O14OH](OH) · H2O |
| 9.DK.15 | Saneroite | NaMn2+5[Si5O14(OH)](VO3)(OH) |
| 9.DK.20 | Ferri-mottanaite-(Ce) | Ca4Ce2Fe3+(Be1.5◻0.5)[Si4B4O22]O2 |
| 9.DK.20 | Tadzhikite-(Ce) | Ca4Ce3+2Ti◻2(B4Si4O22)(OH)2 |
| 9.DK.20 | 'Hellandite-(Yb)' | (Ca,Y)4(Yb,Y)2(Al,Fe3+,Ti4+)(Be,Li)2[B4Si4O22](O,F,OH)2 |
| 9.DK.20 | Mottanaite-(Ce) | Ca4(Ce,REE)Σ2Al(Be1.5◻0.5)Σ2[B4Si4O22]O2 |
| 9.DK.20 | Ciprianiite | Ca4[(Th,U),Ca]Σ2Al(Be0.5◻1.5)Σ2[B4Si4O22](OH)2 |
| 9.DK.20 | Hellandite-(Y) | (Ca,REE)4Y2Al◻2(B4Si4O22) (OH)2 |
| 9.DK.20 | Hellandite-(Ce) | (Ca,REE)4Ce2Al◻2(B4Si4O22) (OH)2 |
Fluorescence of Marsturite
None.
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Marsturite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-2581.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Marsturite
Localities for Marsturite
Showing 10 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
India | |
| Chakrabarty et al. (2018) |
Italy | |
| CD with abstracts +4 other references |
| Hans van t Zelfde +1 other reference |
| Balestra et al. (2020) |
Japan | |
| Matsubara et al (1990) |
| www.issp.u-tokyo.ac.jp (n.d.) +4 other references |
Russia | |
| Aupova et al. (2001) |
| Joan Rosell. RosellMinerals |
Spain | |
| Dill et al. (2023) |
USA (TL) | |
| Peacor et al. (1978) +2 other references |
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Molinello Mine, Ne, Genoa, Liguria, Italy