Humite
Humite was named after Sir Abraham Hume, English connoisseur and collector artwork, precious stones and minerals. It was found in the volcanically ejected masses of Mt Vesuvius.
Transparent to translucent, yellow and intense orange crystals of gem-quality Humite are very small and are rarely faceted.
| General Information |
|---|
| Chemical Formula | Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Physical Properties of Humite |
|---|
| Mohs Hardness | 6Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Specific Gravity | 3.20 to 3.32Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Tenacity | BrittleAnthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Cleavage Quality | PoorAnthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Fracture | Uneven,Sub-ConchoidalAnthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Optical Properties of Humite |
|---|
| Refractive Index | 1.607 to 1.675Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Optical Character | Biaxial/+Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Pleochroism | Very pale yellow to dark yellow - colorless, pale yellow.Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Colour |
|---|
| Colour (General) | White, yellow, dark orange, brown; colorless to yellow-brown in thin section.Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Transparency | Transparent,TranslucentAnthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Lustre | VitreousAnthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Crystallography of Humite |
|---|
| Crystal System | OrthorhombicAnthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Habit | Crystals typically highly modified, to 1 cm; granular.Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Geological Environment |
|---|
| Where found: | Typically in contact metamorphic zones in limestones and dolostones associated with felsic, or more rarely, alkalic plutonic rocks, especially where metasomatism has introduced Fe, B, and F.Anthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001) |
|---|
| Further Information |
|---|
| Mineral information: | Humite information at mindat.org |
|---|
| Significant Gem Localities |
|---|
| Vietnam | | |
| Garnier, V., Giuliani, G., Ohnenstetter, D., Fallick, A.E., Dubessy, J., Banks, D., Vinh, H.Q., Lhomme, T., Maluski, H., Pêcher, A., Bakhsh, K.A., Long, P.V., Trinh, P.T., and Schwarz, D. (2008): Ore Geology Reviews 34, 169-191. |
|
|
