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 ZIRCON                NATURAL COLOR                   Hardness 7.5
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General Information

 Chemical Formula: ZrSiO4                       
 Composition: Molecular Weight = 183.31 gm
   Zirconium  49.77 %  Zr   67.22 % ZrO2
   Silicon    15.32 %  Si   32.78 % SiO2
   Oxygen     34.91 %  O
             ______        ______
             100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
 Empirical Formula: ZrSiO4
 Environment: Magmatic, metamorphic, pegmatitic, and alluvial rocks..
 Locality: Australia, Sri-Lanka, Madagascar, Burma, Lao. 
 Name Origin: Named from its containing the element, zirconium; which was named from the Arabic, zargun = "gold color."
 Synonym: Cyrtolite
  Hyacinth - orange red
  Jarcon - colorless
  Malacon
 Zircon Image

Clear, crystalline Zircon prism. Madagascar

 

© Image by A. Darbellay

 

Crystallography

 Axial Ratios: a:c = 1:0.90536
 Cell Dimensions: a = 6.604, c = 5.979, Z = 4; V = 260.76 Den(Calc)= 4.67
 Crystal System: Tetragonal - Ditetragonal Dipyramidal H-M Symbol (4/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: I41/amd
 X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 3.3(1) 2.518(0.45) 4.43(0.45)
 Forms:

 

                         
 Physical Properties
 Cleavage: [110] Indistinct
 Color: brown, reddish brown, colorless, gray, or green.
 Density: 4.6 - 4.7, Average = 4.65
 Diaphaniety: Transparent to translucent to opaque
 Fracture: Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern.
 Habits: Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline)., Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction., Crystalline - Fine - Occurs as well-formed fine sized crystal s.
 Hardness: 7.5 - Garnet
 Luminescence: Fluorescent and radioactive, Short UV=yellow, Long UV=dull red.
 Luster: Adamantine
 Streak: white
 Optical Properties
 Dichroism (e): colorless.
 Dichroism (w): colorless.
 Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= 0.011 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.016 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2067,KPDmeas= 0.2076,KC= 0.21
 Optical Data: Uniaxial (-), e=1.92-1.96, w=1.967-2.015, bire=0.0470-0.0550.
 Classification
 Dana Class: 51.5.2.1 (51)Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups Only
  (51.5)with cations in >[6] coordination
  (51.5.2)Zircon group
 
51.5.2.1 Zircon ZrSiO4 I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
51.5.2.2 Hafnon HfSiO4 I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
51.5.2.3 Thorite ThSiO4 I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
51.5.2.4 Coffinite U(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
51.5.2.5 Thorogummite Th(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 Strunz Class: A.09-10  - Silicates
   Nesosilicates with [SiO4]4-groups, cations of octahedral and cubic orientation [8+6]
   Zircon - Thorogummite series
A.09-10 Zircon ZrSiO4 I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
A.09-20 Hafnon HfSiO4 I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
A.09-30 Thorite ThSiO4 I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
A.09-40 Coffinite U(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
A.09-50 Thorogummite Th(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
 
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