Aerinite () is a bluish-purple
inosilicate mineral. It crystallizes in the
monoclinic system and occurs as fibrous or compact masses and coatings. It has a dark, vitreous luster, a
specific gravity of 2.48 and a
Mohs hardness of 3.
It is a low-temperature
hydrothermal phase occurring in zeolite facies alteration of dolerites. Associated minerals include
prehnite,
scolecite and
mesolite
Mesolite is a tectosilicate mineral with formula Na2 Ca2( Al2 Si3 O10)3·8 H2O. It is a member of the zeolite group and is closely related to natrolite which it also resembles in appearance.
Mesolite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and t ...
.
Its name comes from a
Greek root "aerinos," meaning "atmosphere" or "sky blue".
It was first described by Lasaulx (1876) from a specimen in the Wroclaw museum that was obtained in Aragon, Spain. In 1882, the geologist Luis Mariano Vidal found the mineral in situ in Caserras del Castillo, a locality that currently belongs to the municipality of Estopiñán del Castillo, in Huesca (Spain).
Deposits and uses
Aerinite is a rare mineral. It has been found in several deposits in the Spanish Pyrenees of Huesca and Lleida, as in Estopiñán del Castillo, Camporrells, Juseu and Tartareu. In France, the site is important from St. Pendelon, in the Landes. Aerinite was used as a blue pigment in Romanesque paintings in many churches in the Spain, and also in some French, including the most famous of them, the Pantocrator in the church of San Clemente de Tahull.
References
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Calcium minerals
Iron minerals
Magnesium minerals
Inosilicates
Carbonate minerals
Trigonal minerals
Minerals in space group 158