Charoite is a mineral of the pyroxene group, found exclusively in Russia in the only Lilac Stone deposit, the Murun massif, Yakutia, which is located next to the Chara River. "Officially" was opened during the construction of the BAM. However, the first discovery of charoite rock occurred as early as 1948 in the process of cartographic survey. The mineral charoite itself is found in the rock in the form of individual grains or fibers, which, together with charoite, contains other minerals. Such a rock as a whole is called charoitite, although in practice the name charoite is used in relation to it. Charoitite has exceptionally outstanding decorative qualities, especially some of its species, into which this rock is divided depending on its appearance: for example, “parquet” charoitite (charoite)
You can see charoite (charoitite) stone for sale and buy it in the Minerals of Russia online store.
General | |
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Category | Silicate mineral |
Formula (repeating unit) |
K(Ca,Na)2Si4O10(OH,F)•H2O |
IMA symbol | Cha |
Crystal system | Monoclinic |
Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
Space group | P21/m |
Identification | |
Color | Violet, lilac, light brown |
Crystal habit | Fibrous, massive |
Cleavage | Good in three directions |
Fracture | Conchoidal |
Mohs scale hardness | 5 - 6 |
Luster | Vitreous to pearly |
Streak | White |
Diaphaneity | Translucent |
Specific gravity | 2.54 - 2.58 |
Optical properties | Biaxial (+) |
Refractive index | nα = 1.550 nβ = 1.553 nγ = 1.559 |
Birefringence | 0.009 |
Ultraviolet fluorescence | Weakly fluorescent |
Common impurities | Al, Fe, Mn, Sr, Ba |
Other characteristics | ![]() |