The Mineral BABINGTONITE
- Chemistry: Ca 2 Fe 2 Si 5 O 14 OH, Calcium iron silicate.
- Class: Silicates
- Subclass: Inosilicates
- Uses: mineral specimen
Specimens
Babingtonite is a mineral that was unknown to science before the start of the twentieth century.
It is an unusual mineral in three respects. It contains both divalent (+2) and trivalent (+3) iron ions and this causes a very weak magnetism that could turn the needle of a compass. It is opaque and brilliantly vitreous. It also is the only black mineral found with the typically white or pale colored zeolites. This sets it off and makes it easy to see the normally small crystals among the other minerals in a zeolitic pocket.
Babingtonite is somewhat scarce and its presence in a specimen tends to raise the value of the specimen considerably. Babingtonite, although scarce, is found in almost all rare mineral collections.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
- Color is almost always black to dark green.
- Luster is vitreous.
- Transparency: Crystals are generally opaque but thin crystals or splinters can be translucent.
- Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1
- Crystal Habits include short stocky prismatic crystals or tabular to platy forms.
- Cleavage is good in one direction and perfect in another, these are pinacoidal but are at near right angles to each other forming rectangular prisms.
- Fracture is uneven to subconchoidal.
- Hardness is 5.
- Specific Gravity is approximately 3.3 (somewhat above average for translucent minerals)
- Streak is brown to gray.
- Associated Minerals are quartz, apophyllite, feldspars, heulandite, stilbite, scolecite and other zeolites.
- Other Characteristics: weakly magnetic.
- Notable Occurrences include Poona, India; Devon, England; Baveno, Italy and several locations in Massachusetts.
- Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, color, associations with zeolites and luster.
 Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery MINERALS |
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-1
$ 60.00
$ 60.00
Dims: 2.4 x 1.6 x 1.5" (6.0 x 4.1 x 3.7 cm)
Wt: 2.99 oz. (84.7 g)
Khandivali, Bombay, India
This small specimen consists of a small cluster of heavily-intergrown Babingtonite crystals that rests on a basalt base. These crystals are all similar in size and each has approximate dimensions of 6 x 3 x 2 mm. They are in excellent condition, showing no damage, and have excellent triclinic, wedge-shaped form. They are black and opaque, and have a bright pearly-to-vitreous luster. The Babingtonites are accompanied by a flat cluster of laumontites, and rests on a bed of tiny quartz crystals that covers the base rock. This bed, however, appears to be covered with a powdery deposit of basaltic silt.
bab-1 ($ 60.00)
Khandivali, Bombay, India
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-2
$ 80.00
$ 80.00
Dims: 3.4 x 1.6 x 1.3" (8.6 x 4.1 x 3.3 cm)
Wt: 1.81 oz. (51.4 g)
Khandivali, Bombay, India
At least 20 Babingtonite crystals are scattered on the pale gray-green base of this specimen. These crystals do not exceed 0.2" (5 mm) in length, but are generally in excellent condition. All have excellent triclinic prismatic form, with well-defined edges and clean faces that possess a bright pearly luster. They are black in color and opaque, and are accompanied by what appear to be very tiny quartz crystals.
bab-2 ($ 80.00)
Khandivali, Bombay, India
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-3
$ 38.00
$ 38.00
Dims: 2.4 x 2.2 x 1.4" (6.0 x 5.6 x 3.5 cm)
Wt: 2.4 oz. (69 g)
Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
A large number (perhaps over 100) of very worn or heavily-intergrown Babingtonite crystals rest on the basalt base of this specimen. Though there is some damage, most of it occurs at the exposed edges of the clusters, which line protective hollows. They do not appear to exceed 0.3" (8 mm) in length. Only a few show any discernable triclinic bladed form - the rest are either too worn or too intergrown. They have a noticeable pearly-to-vitreous luster, however, and their black color is common. The Babingtonite is accompanied by crusts of countless tiny stilbites that also line the hollows.
bab-3 ($ 38.00)
Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-4
$ 60.00
$ 60.00
Dims: 3.2 x 1.8 x 1.5" (8.0 x 4.6 x 3.8 cm)
Wt: 3.0 oz. (87 g)
Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
At least 20 short, tabular Babingtonite crystals rest on the basaltic base of this cabinet specimen. They are generally in very good condition, showing little damage, and are difficult to isolate, as they are heavily intergrown. However, a few of them appear to reach or even exceed 0.2" (5 mm) in length or width. Though their intergrowth interferes, their triclinic tabular form appears to be good. All have the common black color and a rather dull, waxy luster, and are completely opaque. The basalt base on which they rest is covered with a thin druse of tiny quartz crystals- some of these have an almost blade-like, flattened form.
bab-4 ($ 60.00)
Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-5
$ 25.00
$ 25.00
Dims: 3.0 x 1.9 x 1.1" (7.6 x 4.8 x 2.8 cm)
Wt: 1.6 oz. (44 g)
Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
At least 25 Babingtonite prisms rest on the quartz druse base of this hand specimen. These crystals do not generally exceed 0.1" (3 mm) in length and are in very good condition. They tend to be arranged in small clusters, and show excellent triclinic form. All have the standard black color and vitreous luster. What appears to be a worn, incomplete prehnite nodule (though it could be heulandite) accompanies the Babingtonites. All rest on the quartz base, which is made up of intersecting druses of hundreds of small, white crystals.
bab-5 ($ 25.00)
Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-6
$ 50.00
$ 50.00
Dims: 5.4 x 3.4 x 2.2" (13.6 x 8.6 x 5.6 cm)
Wt: 14.5 oz. (411 g)
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Dozens of clustered and individual Babingtonite crystals are scattered within the hollows of this cabinet specimen. These crystals are generally in excellent condition, showing very little damage because of their protected location, and show triclinic tabular and prismatic forms that range from excellent to essentially nonexistent. Though difficult to measure, some crystals reach lengths of 0.2" (5-6 mm). All have the standard black color and bright vitreous luster. The hollows in which they rest are lined with beds of very tiny apophyllite crystals.
bab-6 ($ 50.00)
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-7
$ 45.00
$ 45.00
Dims: 4.3 x 3.2 x 2.1" (10.9 x 8.2 x 5.2 cm)
Wt: 14.3 oz. (404 g)
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
At least 10 small Babingtonite clusters rest in the hollows of the basalt host of this cabinet piece. The largest of these clusters measures about 0.7" (1.8 cm) in diameter and contains at least one crystal that measures nearly 0.5" (1.2 cm) in length. Almost all are in excellent condition, and their triclinic form ranges in quality from excellent to poor, depending on intergrowth and other conditions. All are black in color and have a vitreous luster. The hollows in the host rock are lined with tiny apophyllite crystals.
bab-7 ($ 45.00)
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-8
$ 40.00
$ 40.00
Dims: 3.6 x 2.6 x 2.5" (9.1 x 6.7 x 6.4 cm)
Wt: 9.6 oz. (273 g)
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
A single crystal and at least 4 clusters of Babingtonite rest in the hollow of this cabinet specimen. The clusters do not exceed 0.4" (1 cm) in diameter and generally contain very warped crystals that are naturally incomplete. The single crystal measures 0.2-0.3" (5-8 mm) in length and shows good triclinic form. All are colored black and have a vitreous luster. Very tiny apophyllites coat the hollow in the basalt host.
bab-8 ($ 40.00)
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-9
$ 30.00
$ 30.00
Dims: 1.6 x 1.2 x 0.9" (4.0 x 3.0 x 2.3 cm)
Wt: 17 g
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
A cluster of highly warped and intergrown Babingtonite crystals rests on the gray base of this small hand specimen. This cluster has dimensions of 0.8 x 0.6 x 0.5" (1.9 x 1.4 x 1.2 cm) and shows no damage. However, it shows very little definite triclinic form due to the intense intergrowth of the crystals. All have the standard black color and vitreous to pearly luster. They appear to rest on a layer of crystalline apophyllite that partly covers the basalt base rock
bab-9 ($ 30.00)
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
BABINGTONITE specimen bab-10
$ 25.00
$ 25.00
Dims: 1.3 x 1.0 x 0.8" (3.3 x 2.5 x 2.0 cm)
Wt: 9 g
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Many heavily-intergrown Babingtonite crystals fill the cavity in the sparse host rock of this thumbnail specimen. The crystals appear to be in very good condition, but have a highly disseminated triclinic form. All have the black color and vitreous luster that are standard for the specie. Tiny crusts of crystalline calcite are sandwiched between the Babingtonite and the basalt host rock.
bab-10 ($ 25.00)
Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, U.S.A.