Feldspars and Feldspathoids VIII: the Limits of Interstitial Cations
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Railsback's Some Fundamentals of Mineralogy and Geochemistry Feldspars and feldspathoids VIII: VI 2+ VI The limits of interstitial cations Mg Non-mineral hypothetical tectosilicates MgAl2Si2O8 The plot at right suggests a possible control on the Non-mineral hypothetical feldspars compositions of feldspars and feldspathoids, in that the Feldspars 2.5 VIII 2+ VIII dashed diagonal line separates the field of known Mg Feldspathoids MgAl2Si2O8 feldspar and feldspathoid compositions (in black) from analogous compositions that have not been found in nature (in gray). The apparent explanation of that Yugawaralite, goosecreekite, and boundary is that increasing Al3+ substtiution for Si4+ (on Laumontite & wairikite Scolecite and cowlesite tschernichite are are hydrous analogs. are hydrous analogs. the horizontal axis) lessens the density of positive charge hydrous analogs. in tetrahedral sites and thus allows inclusion of interstitial 2.0 Anorthite cations of increasing ionic potential or charge density (on CaAl2Si6O16 CaAl Si O CaAl Si O 2 4 12 2 3 10 CaAl2Si2O8 the vertical axis). According to this logic, a Mg2+ or Be2+ VIIICa2+ feldspar or feldspathoid could not exist because of the IVLi+ Virgilite, an Li-bearing anhydrous tectosilicate (French et al., mutual repulsion between the interstitial cation and the 1978) is not shown here both because its chemical formula is not well constrained and because it is a very rare mineral. tetrahedral cations, whereas cations of lesser ionic Petalite, an Li-bearing anhydrous silicate in which Al and Si Celsian potential engender sufficiently little repulsion to allow a 1.5 are in tetrahedral coordination, is not shown here because it is considered a phyllosilicate rather than a tectosilicate BaAl2Si2O8 stable configuration. Ca2+ falls somewhere in the middle, IXBa2+ (Gaines et al, 1997; Strunz and Nickel, 2001). 3+ able to enter an anhydrous tectosilicate when Al X 2+ VI Ba VILi+ LiAlSi3O8 substitutes for Si4+ in half the tetrahedral sites but agioclase feldspars Pl otherwise only able to enter tectosilicates where H2O buffers the repulsion of the cations. Banalsite One result of all this is that there is no Mg2+-bearing 1.0 VINa+ (VINa XBa)Al Si O Albite 2 4 4 16 feldspar or feldspathoid. Mg is one of Earth's most VIINa+ Hyalophane VI-VIINaAlSi O abundant elements, and feldspars and feldspathoids are VIIINa+ 3 8 (K,Ba)(AlSi)4O8 Nepheline VIII IX collectively among Earth's most abundant minerals, so K-feldspars ( Na K)AlSiO4 Ionic potential (charge÷radius) of 1+ or 2+ cation IX + one might expect there to be an Mg-feldspar. The larger K IX IX + KAlSi3O8 neighbors of Mg2+ in the periodic table, Na+ and Ca2+, Rb Leucite rals Rubicline Kalsilite + 0.5 KAlSi2O6 form feldspars, and its smaller neighbor, Li , enters two KAlSiO4 Non-minerals (Rb,K)AlSi3O8 minerals consisting of Al3+ and Si4+ tetrahedra, so size Mine alone fails to explain the absence of an Mg2+-bearng tectosilicate. Instead, it appears that the cation-cation 2+ repulsion that Mg Data regarding coordination are Li + Be 2+ B 3+ 4+ would cause precludes from Deer, Howie, and Zussman (1966), C Quartz and its polymorphs Gaines et al. (1997) and Strunz and Nickel Na + Mg 2+ Al 3+ Si 4+ its entry into feldspars 0.0 (2001) . Ionic radii are fr om S hannon (1972). and feldspathoids. + 2+ 3+ 4+ K Ca Sc Ti 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 Al/Al+Si Rb+ Sr2+ + 2+ Cs Ba 9.59.0 8.5 8.0 LBR SFMGFeldspars14 1/2010 Overall ionic potential (charge ÷ radius) in Al-Si tetrahedral sites.