How do I identify Khmaralite?

Khmaralite can be identified by its hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, dark greenish blue color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Khmaralite?

Khmaralite typically appears in dark greenish blue. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Khmaralite?

Khmaralite has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. This makes it a relatively hard mineral suitable for jewelry.

Khmaralite

A variety of Minerals

What is Khmaralite?

The mineral khmaralite is a beryllium bearing mineral of the sapphirine group with a chemical formula of (Mg,Al,Fe)16[(Al,Si,Be)12O36]O40. It is most associated with sillimanite, surinamite, musgravite, garnet, and biotite. The known color is a dark greenish blue or a dark green, with a colorless streak. It is transparent with a vitreous luster with no cleavage and a Moh's hardness of 7. It is brittle with an uneven fracture. The calculated density is 3.61 g/cm. Khmaralite is closely related to sapphirine with a difference in the tetrahedral sequence chain. The tetrahedral sequence chain in sapphirine (Al-Si-Al) is replaced by the sequence Si-Be-Si in khmaralite. Si is replaced by Be on two sites, and Al is replaced by Si on four adjacent sites. This creates an indirect replacement of Al by Be.

Khmaralite Market Value Calculator

Estimate the market value of Khmaralite using size, quality, and finish. This preview calculator is for quick context and is not a formal appraisal.

Khmaralite Localities Map

See where Khmaralite is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.

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North ZoneCentral RidgeSouth Basin

Key Characteristics

Composition of Khmaralite

Barbier et al. analyzed khmaralite for constituents other than Li, Be and B with an ARL-EMX electron microprobe using 15 kV accelerating voltage and a 20 nA sample current. Li, Be and B were analyzed with an ARL Ion Microprobe Mass Analyzer (IMMA). It was later found in 1996 while using a Camea ims 4f (Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy or SIMS) that the Be signal was not corrected for the Al signal in the IMMA data. The IMMA and SIMS BeO contents are respectively, 2.56 and 2.47 weight percent.