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Silicate

Liberite

Li₂Be(SiO₄)
Hardness7
Crystal systemMonoclinic
ClassSilicate
Liberite specimen

Brown crystal aggregates of the very rare Li-Be silicate mineral liberite from the type locality in China (Xianghualing Mine, Linwu County, Chenzhou, Hunan Province, China), and associated to white hsianghualite. Ex Vandenbroucke Museum collection specimen, from Waregem, Belgium — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0

Liberite

Liberite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula Li₂Be(SiO₄).

It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group Pn).

Key properties: Mohs hardness 7; specific gravity 2.688; Oily, vitreous on cleavages luster; optically biaxial.

IMA symbol Lbr, IMA status: approved, named in 1964.

Found in veins cutting a lepidolite-fluorite-magnetite \ribbon ro ck" in tactite.

It is found associated with Lepidolite, natrolite, eucryptite, hsianghualite, cassiterite, scheelite.

Presumably for LIthium and BERyllium in the composition.

Index entry. This entry combines official IMA/RRUFF species data with published physical-property data — a full written entry hasn’t been published yet. Browse more L minerals or help write this entry.