Dawsonite is a mineral composed of
sodium aluminium carbonate hydroxide, chemical formula NaAlCO
3(OH)
2. It crystallizes in the
orthorhombic
In crystallography, the orthorhombic crystal system is one of the 7 crystal systems. Orthorhombic lattices result from stretching a cubic lattice along two of its orthogonal pairs by two different factors, resulting in a rectangular prism with a r ...
crystal system. It is not mined for ore. It was discovered in 1874 during the construction of the
Redpath Museum in a feldspathic
dike on the campus of
McGill University on the
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal (french: Île de Montréal) is a large island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, that is the site of a number of municipalities including most of the city of Montreal and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main ...
, Canada.
It is named after
geologist Sir
John William Dawson (1820–1899).
The type material is preserved in the collection of the Redpath Museum.
See also
*
List of minerals
*
List of minerals named after people
*
Dihydroxialumini sodium carbonate, the commercial (artificial) form, used as an antacid
References
Sodium minerals
Aluminium minerals
Carbonate minerals
Orthorhombic minerals
Minerals in space group 74
Luminescent minerals
{{carbonate-mineral-stub