Morphology, twinning, and optical orientation of gismondine

Abstract

SummaryGismondine is a monoclinic mineral but prior to X-ray determination of its unit cell it was variously regarded as orthorhombic, monoclinic, or triclinic on account of its intricate twinning. A study of gismondine crystals from Osa Quarry, near Rome, indicates that the morphologically dominant form is {32} which by twinning about the normal to {100} produces penetration-twinned octahedral crystals united on (100) and (001). Gismondine has poor cleavage on {32} optic plane is (010) and γ:[001] = 42.5° (in obtuseβ).