Edingtonite Locality: Ice River Alkaline Complex, Golden Mining Division, British Columbia , Canada ( Locality at mindat.org ) Field of view 9 mm. Specimen and photo Leon Hupperichs. — Photo: Leon Hupperichs · CC BY-SA 3.0
Edingtonite
A rare barium zeolite occurring in white, pink, brown or colorless crystals.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Edingtonite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula Ba(Si₃Al₂)O₁₀·4H₂O.
It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group P-42_1m). It is a member of the Edingtonite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 4–4.5; specific gravity 2.73–2.78; Vitreous luster; refractive index 1.547; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Edi, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1825.
Found in cavities in mafic igneous rocks and nepheline syenites; in carbonatites; in hydrothermal veins.
It is found associated with Thomsonite, analcime, natrolite, harmotome, brewsterite, prehnite, calcite.
The name refers to James Edington (1787–1844), mineral collector of Glasgow, Scotland, the discoverer of the mineral.