General Information:
Chemical Formula:
(Na2,K2,Mg,Ca)3-5Mg[Al5-7Si27.5-31O72]·18(H2O)
Environment:
Alteration product of basalts and as a diagenetic material in rhyolitic tuffaceous sediments and in metamorphic rocks.
Locality:
Railroad cut on the north shore of Kamloops lake, British Columbia, Canada.
Name Origin:
Named for Walter Frederick Ferrier (1865-1950), Canadian geologist and mining engineer.
Physical Properties:
Cleavage:
[100] Perfect, [001] Imperfect
Color:
colorless, white, pink, orange, or red.
Density:
2.06 - 2.23, Average = 2.14
Diaphaniety:
Transparent to translucent
Habits:
Radial - Crystals radiate from a center without producing stellar forms (e.g. stibnite), Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction.,
Hardness:
3-3.5 - Calcite-Copper Penny
Luminescence:
Non-fluorescent.
Luster:
Vitreous - Silky
Streak:
white
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