Wollastonita
Wollastonita is a mineral with formula CaSiO₃, in the Inosilicatos group. This specimen comes from Cerro Carija, Mérida, Badajoz, Extremadura, España and joined the Terrium collection in 2015.
Description
Locality-typical wollastonite from the granite quarry "Cantera Carija", with pearly lustre, white colour, and fibrous acicular crystals forming fan aggregates.
History of this specimen
Gift from Ángel Crespo, collected by him during a field trip in 2015. By the way, I thought the name came from "wool" because of the fibrous appearance and the colour... but no, nothing to do with it.
About Wollastonita
A typical contact-metamorphic mineral, the product of reaction between limestone and chert in the aureole of a granitic pluton. Of mainly didactic and regional interest.
About the locality
The wollastonite from Mérida formed in the contact aureole of a granitic pluton, a large body of magma (several kilometres across) that crystallised slowly underground. Heat from the granite caused the limestones and chert to react, producing almost pure bodies of fibrous wollastonite.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0163
- Composition
- CaSiO₃
- Name
- Wollastonita
- Group
- Inosilicatos
- Category
- Meritum Persé
- Mine
- Cerro Carija
- District / Municipality
- Mérida
- Province
- Badajoz
- Region
- Extremadura
- Country
- España
- Size (cm)
- 7 x 7 x 3
- Weight
- 261 g
- Acquired
- 2015
- Ex-collection
- Ángel Crespo
- Etymology
- Named in honour of William Hyde Wollaston (1766–1828), English chemist and mineralogist.
- Quality
- Notable
- Value trend
- Estable
Related specimens
- Abellaíta — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Aegirina — Malawi
- Aerenita — España
- Aerinita (fibrosa) — España
- Analcima — España