Pollucite

Pollucite is a zeolite mineral with the formula (Cs,Na)₂Al₂Si₄O₁₂·2H₂O with iron, calcium, rubidium and potassium as common substituting elements. It is important as a significant ore of caesium and sometimes rubidium. It forms a solid solution series with analcime. It crystallizes in the isometric - hexoctahedral crystal system as colorless, white, gray, or rarely pink and blue masses. Well formed crystals are rare. It has a Mohs hardness of 6.5 and a specific gravity of 2.9. It has a brittle fracture and no cleavage.

Its typical occurrence is in lithium-rich granite pegmatites in association with quartz, spodumene, petalite, amblygonite, lepidolite, elbaite, cassiterite, columbite, apatite, eucryptite, muscovite, albite and microcline.

It was first described in 1846 for occurrences on Elba Island, Italy, it is named for Pollux (mythology), the twin of Castor on the grounds that it is often found associated with petalite (previously known as castorite).

References

• Webmineral data
• Mindat with location data
• Mineral Data Publishing - PDF