Vesuvianite from Pajsberg, Sweden, and the role of Be in the vesuvianite structure

Sharon Fitzgerald
University Museums, University of Delaware

Peter B. Leavens
Department of Geology, University of Delaware, Newark DE 19716 USA.

Rossman GR
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, California 91125-2500, USA

Glenn P. A. Yap
Department of Chemistry, University of Delaware

Timothy Rose
Department of Mineral Sciences, Smithsonian Institution

Abstract

Vesuvianite from Pajsberg, Sweden contains about one atom of Mn, based on 50 cations/formula, and small amounts of Be, B, and As. Infrared absorption analysis suggests that Mn is predominately or entirely trivalent. Crystal structure analysis indicates that Mn is housed at the general octahedral siteY2, which exhibits only minor distortion from ideal octahedral symmetry. As is housed at Y2 and Z2, and the formula derived from microprobe and ICP-LA-MS analyses suggests minor substitution of Al for Si, also at Z2. Be and B are at T1, between the edge-sharing trimers Y3Y2Y3, as B is in the boron dominant vesuvianite species wiluite. The total content at T1 is interpreted as 0.82Be, 0.34B, and 0.041Fe³⁺.

Vesuvianite from Pajsberg, Sweden

Last updated 9-Sep-2015