| Wairakite | |
|---|---|
Wairakite from Azerbaijan
| |
| General | |
| Category | Zeolite minerals |
| Formula (repeating unit) | Ca8(Al16Si32O96)•16H2O |
| IMA symbol | Wrk[1] |
| Strunz classification | 9.GB.05 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Space group | I2/a |
| Unit cell | a = 13.69 Å, b = 13.64 Å c = 13.56 Å; β = 90.51°; Z = 8 |
| Identification | |
| Color | colorless to white |
| Luster | vitreous, dull |
| Streak | white |
| Diaphaneity | transparent, translucent |
| References | [2][3] |
Wairakite is a zeolite mineral with an analcime structure but containing a calcium ion. The chemical composition is Ca8(Al16Si32O96)•16H2O. It is named for the location of its discovery in Wairakei, North Island, New Zealand, by Czechoslovakian mineralogist Alfred Steiner in 1955.[4][5] The first finds were in hydrothermally altered rhyolitic tuffs, ignimbrites and volcaniclastic rocks.[5] The mineral has since been found in metamorphic rocks and in geothermal areas. It was most likely first successfully synthesized in a laboratory in 1970.[6]
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