Natrolite is a tectosilicate mineral species belonging to the zeolite group. It is a hydrated sodium and aluminium silicate with the formula . The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, New Jersey, Oregon, and British Columbia have also produced excellent specimens.
Several varieties of natrolite have been distinguished: fargite is a red natrolite from Glenfarg in Perthshire; bergmannite or spreustein is an impure variety which has resulted by the alteration of other minerals, chiefly sodalite, in the augite syenite of southern Norway.
Natrolite is one of the closely associated minerals with benitoite, a rare mineral with its type locality in San Benito County, California.
Natrolite forms opaque white spherical inclusions within nodules of translucent green prehnite from Wave Hill, Northern Territory, Australia.
Images
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File:Phonolith.JPG|Natrolite from Hohentwiel (Hegau)
File:Natrolith Aussig.JPG|Natrolite from Aussig.
File:Zeolite-greenland hg.jpg|Natrolite from the plateau basalts in east Greenland
File:Natrolite-61051.jpg|Colorless, radiating natrolite in zeolite pod
File:Catapleiite, Natrolite-168971.jpg|Catapleiite and natrolite from Poudrette quarry, Québec, Canada
File:Natrolite-Inesite-21148.jpg|Slender needles of natrolite are accented by deep pink inesites
File:Natrolite-223955.jpg|Natrolite in spherical clusters inside protective pocket of volcanic rock
File:Natrolite-Inesite-37029.jpg|Natrolite sprays of stark white crystals are shooting out from a vug of inesite
</gallery>
See also
- Pressure-induced hydration
References
External links
- Structure type NAT
- Mineral Galleries
- Mindat
- Webmineral