Sylvite

Object/Artifact

-

Crater Rock Museum

Sylvite

Sylvite

Name/Title

Sylvite

Entry/Object ID

2014.1.16

Description

Chemical Composition: Al(OH)3 Crystal System: Hexagonal System Description: Common Name: Sylvite Chemistry: KCl Group: Halides Location: Unknown Description: Small specimen with a dull to smoky white color. The crystal structure is cubic. Physical Charateristics: •Color is colorless or white, sometimes tinted red, blue or yellow. •Luster is vitreous. •Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent. •Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m. •Crystal Habits are cubes with frequent octahedral faces truncating the corners of the cube, crystals will often have a cavernous appearance from dissolution. More commonly massive and granular. •Cleavage is good in three directions forming cubes. •Fracture is uneven. •Hardness is 2 - 2.5 •Specific Gravity is 1.99 (light, surprisingly slightly less dense than halite with a 2.17 specific gravity) •Streak is white. •Other Characteristics: Dissolves easily in water, does not powder when the blade of a knife is scratched across its surface and has a distinctive bitter taste. •Associated Minerals include halite, carnallite, kieserite, gypsum, anhydrite and other evaporite minerals. •Notable Occurrences include Strassfurt, Germany; Kalush, Russia; New Mexico, Texas and Kern Co., California, USA; Saskatchewan, Canada; France, Mt. Vesuvius, Italy and Spain. •Best Field Indicators are bitter taste, associations and crystal habit. Hardness: 7 Quartz Rock Type: Sedimentary

Collection

RAGM Mineral Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2014.1

Source or Donor

Crater Rock Museum (unknown donors)

Acquisition Method

Gift

Dimensions

Height

2-1/4 in

Width

1-1/8 in

Length

1-3/4 in

Location

Location

Shelf

5th shelf

Cabinet

Case# 20

Wall

West

Building

Freida Smith Hall

Category

Permanent