Name/Title
GahniteEntry/Object ID
2014.1.60Description
Chemical Composition: Al(OH)3
Crystal System: Hexagonal System
Description: Common Name: Gahnite / Monazite
Chemistry: ZnAl2O
Group: Oxides
Location: San Bernadino,CA
Description: Small specimen with reddish-brown and beige matrix and small green crystals throughout.
Physical Charateristics:
Color is commonly green but also known to be blue, yellow, brown or gray.
• Luster is vitreous.
• Transparency: Crystals are generally just translucent to almost opaque, but some slightly transparent specimens are known.
• Crystal System: Isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
• Crystal Habits include the typical octahedron, but can be found as dodecahedrons and cubes. Octahedrons may be truncated by dodecahedral faces and commonly show striations parallel to the octahedron-dodecahedron boundary. Twinning by the Spinel Twin Law can produce trigonal appearing crystals with three reentrant angles on the sides of the crystal.
• Cleavage: None
• Fracture is conchoidal.
• Hardness is 7.5 - 8.0
• Specific Gravity is 4.55 - 4.60
• Streak is gray.
• Associated Minerals include calcite, spinel, franklinite and several types of garnets.
• Notable Occurrences include Rowe and Charlemont, Massachusetts; Spruce Pine, North Carolina; White Picacho district, Arizona; Topsham, Maine and Franklin New Jersey, USA and Falun, Sweden.
• Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, hardness, density and locality.
Hardness: 7 Quartz
Rock Type: SedimentaryCollection
RAGM Mineral CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2014.1Source or Donor
Crater Rock Museum (unknown donors)Acquisition Method
GiftDimensions
Height
3 inWidth
1-1/8 inLength
2-1/4 inLocation
Location
Display Case
FS-11Room
Frieda Smith HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
PermanentMoved By
Curtis GardnerDate
July 21, 2023