Heklaite, KNaSiF6, a new fumarolic mineral from Hekla volcano, Iceland

Abstract

AbstractHeklaite, with the ideal formula KNaSiF6, was found among fumarolic encrustations collected in 1992 on the Hekla volcano, Iceland. Heklaite forms a fine-grained mass of micron- to sub-micron-sized crystals intimately associated with malladrite, hieratite and ralstonite. The mineral is colourless, transparent, non-fluorescent, has a vitreous lustre and a white streak. The calculated density is 2.69 g cm–3. An SEM-EDS quantitative chemical analysis shows the following range of concentrations (wt.%): Na 11.61–12.74 (average 11.98), K 17.02–18.97 (average 18.29), Si 13.48 –14.17 (average 13.91), F 54.88–56.19 (average 55.66). The empirical chemical formula, calculated on the basis of 9 a.p.f.u., is Na1.07K0.96Si1.01F5.97. X-ray powder diffraction indicates that heklaite is orthorhombic, space groupPnma, with the following unit-cell parameters:a= 9.3387(7) Å,b= 5.5032(4) Å,c= 9.7957(8) Å ,V= 503.43(7) Å3,Z= 4. The eight strongest reflections in the powder diffraction pattern [din Å (I/I0) (hkl)] are: 4.33 (53) (102); 4.26 (56) (111); 3.40 (49) (112); 3.37 (47) (202); 3.34 (100) (211); 2.251 (27) (303); 2.050 (52) (123); 2.016 (29) (321). On the basis of chemical analyses and X-ray data, heklaite corresponds to the synthetic compound KNaSiF6. The name is for the type locality, the Hekla volcano, Iceland.