Amphibole: EBRADA, Marichris J. ESPIA, Raemond John

AMPHIBOLE
EBRADA, Marichris J.
ESPIA, Raemond John
Amphibole
•any of a group of common rock-forming

silicate minerals
•comes from the Greek word amfibolos, which
means ‘ambiguous’ or ‘doubtful’
Chemical Composition NaCa2(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Al,Si)8O22(OH)2
Fe, Mg, and Al ions substitute freely for one
another
Color Dark green, dark brown, black
Cleavage Two directions that meet at 56 and 124

degrees, uneven fracture
Physical Properties Hardness 5 to 6 (harder than glass)
Specific Gravity 3.0 to 3.4, increases with iron content

(average)
Luster Vitreous (glassy) to dull, opaque
Streak White to gray

Color
Cleavage
Luster
• Amphiboles share a similar crystal structure and cleavage pattern, but contain
different proportions of sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg),
which substitute for one another in its crystal structure.
Crystal System
• The minerals of the amphibole group crystallize in the orthorhombic, monoclinic,

and triclinic systems, but the crystals of the different species are closely similar in
many respects.
Inosilicate Minerals
• forming prism or needlelike crystals,composed of double chain SiO4 tetrahedra

• connected at the vertices and normally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium
in their systems
• Amphiboles represent the majority of the double-chained inosilicates.

The structure of the amphibole minerals is similar to
the pyroxenes, but based on double rather than
single chains. There are also similarities in the way
DOUBLE the structure behaves as a function of chemical
substitutions, temperature and pressure.
CHAIN
SILICATES – The double chain can also be shortened by rotation
the of the tetrahedra to accommodate smaller cations
AMPHIBOL
ES Amphiboles have a wider range of compositions than
pyroxenes and also contain hydroxyl groups as
essential consituents.
• The general composition of amphibole minerals may be described by
the formula
• A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2.
• A = the large A site which may be vacant or contain varying amounts of
Na/Ca.
• B = the content of the M4 site which in the most common amphiboles
may be Ca,Na,Fe2+ or Mg;
• C = Fe2+,Mg, Fe3+ or Al in the M1,M2 and M3 sites,
Amphibole • T = Si and Al in the tetrahedra. The limit of this substitution appears to

be (Al2Si6).
compositions
• This large number of cation sites makes the amphiboles the mineral
group with the widest chemistry, and so able to crystallise in rocks over
a broad range of bulk composition. A typical complex solid solution is
that of "hornblende" a very common constituent of many igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
The sodium
amphibole
group is a
solid solution
with two end GLAUCOPHANE : RIEBEBECKITE:
members:
NA2MG3AL2SI8O22(OH)2 AND NA2FE2+3FE3+2SI8O22(OH)2
Origin of Amphibole
crystallize in both igneous and metamorphic rocks with a broad range of bulk chemical
compositions
make up only a minor constituent in most sedimentary rocks
present in most metamorphic and many igneous rocks (more common in intermediate to felsic

igneous rocks)
are important constituents in a variety of plutonic and volcanic igneous rocks that range
in composition from granitic to gabbroic
form at lower temperatures with the presence of water; always at the expense of their single
chained cousins, the pyroxenes
Types of Amphibole group
• Anthophyllite –
Tremolite series
• Tremolite –
Sodium amphibole
group
Amphibole (Mg,Fe)7Si8O22(OH Ca2Mg5Si8O22(OH) • Glaucophane –
)2 2 Na2Mg3Al2Si8O22(
OH)2
• Cummingtonite • Actinolite –
series Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22 • Riebeckite
(OH)2 (asbestos) –
• Cummingtonite –
Na2FeII3FeIII2Si8O2
Fe2Mg5Si8O22(OH) • Hornblende –
2(OH)2
2 (Ca,Na)2–
• Grunerite – 3(Mg,Fe,Al)5Si6(Al, • Arfvedsonite –
Si)2O22(OH)2 Na3(Fe,Mg)4FeSi8O
Fe7Si8O22(OH)2
22(OH)2
HORNBLENDE
(Ca,Na)2-3(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Si,Al)8O22(OH,F)2
Note that calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, aluminum, silicon, fluorine and hydroxyl can all vary in abundance.
Horneblende
• field and classroom name used for a group of dark-
colored amphibole minerals found in many types of
igneous and metamorphic rocks
• the most abundant mineral
• vary in chemical composition but are all double-
chain inosilicates with very similar physical
properties
• rock-forming mineral that is an important
constituent in acidic and intermediate igneous rocks
• also found in metamorphic rocks
Uses of
Horneblende PRIMARY USE: AS A HAS BEEN USED TO CRUSHED AND USED FOR
MINERAL SPECIMEN ESTIMATE THE DEPTH OF HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION
CRYSTALLIZATION OF AND AS RAILROAD BALLAST
PLUTONIC ROCKS
CUT FOR USE AS DIMENSION USE AS BUILDING FACING,

STONE FLOOR TILES,
COUNTERTOPS, AND OTHER
ARCHITECTURAL USES

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AMPHIBOLE

•any of a group of common rock-forming

Color Dark green, dark brown, black

Cleavage Two directions that meet at 56 and 124

Specific Gravity 3.0 to 3.4, increases with iron content

Luster Vitreous (glassy) to dull, opaque

Streak White to gray

• The minerals of the amphibole group crystallize in the orthorhombic, monoclinic,

• forming prism or needlelike crystals,composed of double chain SiO4 tetrahedra

• Amphiboles represent the majority of the double-chained inosilicates.

Amphibole • T = Si and Al in the tetrahedra. The limit of this substitution appears to

make up only a minor constituent in most sedimentary rocks

present in most metamorphic and many igneous rocks (more common in intermediate to felsic

CUT FOR USE AS DIMENSION USE AS BUILDING FACING,

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