Description
PETALITE SPECIMEN
This is the slightly polished on the one side pinkish-white petalite specimen. Dimensions: 2.2 x 1.6 x 0.4″ (5.5 x 4 x 1cm). Weight – 1.7oz (47 grams). Origin: Russia, Transbaikalia.
Some information about petalite:
Petalite, also known as castorite, is a lithium aluminium phyllosilicate mineral LiAlSi4O10, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. Petalite is a member of the feldspathoid group. It occurs as colorless, grey, yellow, yellow grey, to white tabular crystals and columnar masses. Occurs in lithium-bearing pegmatites with spodumene, lepidolite, and tourmaline.
Discovered in 1800, by Brazilian naturalist and statesman Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva. Type locality: Utö Island, Haninge, Stockholm, Sweden. The name is derived from the Greek word petalon, which means leaf (perfect cleavage).
The first important economic application for petalite was as a raw material for the glass-ceramic cooking ware CorningWare. It has been used as a raw material for ceramic glazes.
