Crystal Chemistry of the Amphiboles

Abstract

The first structural analysis of an amphibole was carried out by Warren (1929) on tremolite. A year later, Warren and Mmodell (1930) determined the related structure of anthophyllite. Until fairly recently, these two works were the only ones available regarding the atomic arrangement of the double-chain silicates. After Whittaker (1949) and Zussman (1955) elucidated the structures of a crocidolite (fibrous sodic amphibole, in this case magnesioriebeckite) and an actinolite respectively, interest in this group of minerals revived among mineralogists. More recent refinements include the following:

• six hornblendes —Heritsch et al (1957, 1960), Heritsch and Kahler (1960), Heritsch and Riechert (1960);

• tremolite —Zussman (1959);

• grunerite —Ghose and Hellner (1959), Finger and Zoltai (1967);

• cummingtonite —Ghose (1961), Fischer (1966);

• arfvedsonite —Kawahara (1963);

• two synthetic amphiboles —Prewitt (1964);

• synthetic proto-amphibole —Gibbs (1965);

• riebeckite —Colville and Gibbs (1965);

• glaucophane —Papike and Clark (1967).