astrophyllite : List Of Minerals : The Stone Network
The Business To Business Portal For The Natural Stone Trade

Google Site Search

Stone Blogs

Asia Blog
Europe Blog
Global Blog

Stone Database

Natural Stone Database

Stone Fairs

Exhibitions 2011
Exhibitions 2010
Exhibitions 2009

Stone Images

By Country Of Origin

Stone Images - Slab

Granite Colors
Limestone Colors
Marble Colors
Onyx Colors
Quartzite Colors
Sandstone Colors
Slate Colors
Soapstone Colors
Travertine Colors

Stone Machines

New Stone Machines
Used Stone Machines

Stone Sites

Stone Forums
Stone Magazines
Stone Portals

Stone Supplies & Fabricators

Canada
United Kingdom
U.S.A.

Stone Testing

ASTM
BRE
Sandberg
Stats
Stone Initiatives
UKAS

Petrology

Granite
Limestone
Marble
Quartzite
Sandstone
Slate
Travertine

Rocks

Igneous
List of Minerals
List of Rocks
Metamorphic
Minerals
Sedimentary

Various Resources

Anti Slip
Abacus Index
BIDA
Building Conservation
Building Design
English Heritage
Maintenance Products
RIBA
RICS
Ryan Links
Salvo
SPAB
Stone Federation GB
Trade Terminology

Astrophyllite is a very rare, brown to golden yellow hydrous potassium iron titanium silicate mineral. Belonging to the astrophyllite group, astrophyllite may be classed either as an inosilicate, phyllosilicate or an intermediate between the two. It forms an isomorphous series with kupletskite, to which it is visually identical and often intimately associated. Astrophyllite is of interest primarily to scientists and collectors.

Heavy, soft and fragile, astrophyllite typically forms as bladed, radiating stellate aggregates. It is this crystal habit that gives astrophyllite its name; from the Greek words astron meaning "star" and phyllon meaning "leaf." Its high, submetallic lustre and dark colour contrast sharply with the light coloured (felsic) matrix the mineral is regularly found within. Astrophyllite is usually opaque to translucent, but may be transparent in thin specimens.

As the crystals themselves possess perfect cleavage, they are typically left in situ, the entire aggregate often cut into slabs and polished. Owing to its limited availability and high cost, astrophyllite is seldom seen in an ornamental capacity. It is sometimes used in jewellery where it is fashioned into cabochons.

Found in cavities and fissures in unusual felsic igneous rocks, astrophyllite is associated with feldspar, mica, titanite, zircon, nepheline and aegirine. Common impurities include magnesium, aluminium, calcium, zirconium, niobium, and tantalum. It was first discovered in 1854 at its type locality; Laven Island, Norway. Interestingly, kupletskite was not known until 1956, over a hundred years later.

Astrophyllite is found in a few scarce, remote localities: Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; Pikes Peak, Colorado, USA; Narsarsuk and Kangerdluarsuk, Greenland; Brevig, Norway; and the Kola Peninsula, Russia.

Along with kupletskite, astrophyllite grouped with: cesium-kupletskite, niobophyllite, zircophyllite, hydroastrophyllite, magnesiumastrophyllite, and niobokupletskite.

Trade Supplies
M.I.A. Information
Information
Information
  • Absolute Black Granite : Black Galaxy, Star Galaxy, Nero Impala etc. Black is popular, black looks great, black is more expensive >>
  • Black Galaxy Granite : Quarrying & Quality Information >>
  • Copyright :
    Legal Information
    This web site is protected under International Law by the
    Digital Millennium Copyright Act 1998.

    If you wish to link to this site please feel free to do so HOWEVER blatant design copying, code copying and theft of bandwidth will result in legal action!

    Delicious Logo ImageDelicious Digg Logo ImageDigg Facebook Logo ImageFacebook Reddit Logo ImageReddit StumbleUpon Logo ImageStumbleUpon Twitter Logo ImageTwitter

    Home : Contact : About : Legal : Copyright 1998-2010 The Stone Network