Edenite,

Edenite is an amphibole root-name, shared by multiple amphibole species. Ferro-edenite and fluoro-
edenite are the most frequently occurring of these minerals, and edenite is rarer.

The Crystal Structure of the edenite minerals

The structure of the edenite minerals are based on the double chains of SiO4 tetrahedra, similar to
the other amphiboles, please see the introduction to amphiboles article for further details. Edenite is
derived from tremolite via a NaAAlT <-> Si substitution. In order for this exchange to take place,
some Fe and/or F must replace Mg and (OH) respectively ). Several attempts to synthesize edenite
in (OH) environements have failed. The outcome is often phlogopite even within the amphibole
stability range rather than edenite, or in very SiO2 rich environments intermediate amphiboles
between tremolite-richterite-edenite are the result.
The substitution of F for OH in all the calcic amphibole composition reduces the number of Mg-O
bonds and increases the number of shorter and stronger Mg-F bonds, contributing to the higher
thermal stability of the F-rich end members of the calcic amphibole group, where edenite belong.
Ferro-edenite and fluoro-edenite is therefore more common than edenite proper. Unfortunately,
analyzing for F is often omitted or outside the range of the methods and apparatus most frequently
used for analysis (EDS/WDS and EMPA), and therefore even analyzed samples can be incorrectly
labeled. Older specimens, both in museums or other older collections, may have been collected,
analyzed and labeled before it was decided to distinguish between these minerals.
The chemical formula of edenite is NaCa2Mg5(Si7Al)O22(OH)2 , but for the root-name edenite, it might
have been more correct to use the formula NaCa2(Fe,Mg)5(Si7Al)O22(F,OH)2. The idealized structure
are shown in figure 1.
 B= Ca

C = (Mg,Fe)5

W= A= Na
(OH,F)

B=Ca

Figure 1: Edenite structure viewed perpendicular to the double chain showing the ideal content of each site: A = Na ( orange
circle), B = Ca ( green circles), C= (Mg,Fe)5 ( blue circles), SiO4 tetrahedra ( grey triangles) and W=(OH,F) ( red circles). Ferro-
edenite has Fe>Mg and fluoro-edenite has F>(OH). In order to balance the formula, one of the tetrahedral Si atoms are
replaced with Al.

100
210
010

H
Figure 2: Idealized edenite crystal showing
the relationship between the double chain,
cleavage and crystal shape.

Ca 57 Deg

Figure 3: The amphibole I-Beam structure along the C-axix show the relative position of the double chains to each other.
The dotted line show the cleavage angles of the amphiboles. The red lines show the idealized breakingline in relation to the
I beams. Illustration after Zussmann (1978) THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURES OF AMPHIBOLE AND SERPENTINE MINERALS.
National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506. Proceedings of the Workshop on Asbestos.

Physical Properties of edenite

The edenite minerals can be any grade of greenish and brownish colors from very light, almost
colorless to black. Micro crystals in volcanic rocks often show colors from yellow via orange to
brown.
The edenite minerals can occur as long and short prismatic crystals as well as fibrous aggregates.
The cleavage is the typical amphibole cleavage in to direction (57 and 123), but this can be difficult
to observe in fibrous aggregates and small crystals. Its fracture across the cleavage is uneven.
Individual crystals have a glassy lustre. Its hardness is 5-6, but may appear lower due to the fibrous
nature of many aggregates. Its streak is white or light. Its density is 3.05-3.09 SG.

Similar Minerals to edenite

The amphiboles are distinguished from the pyroxenes on the angles between the cleavage planes.

The edenite minerals cannot be distinguished from other amphiboles by physical characteristics, and
the results from EDS and even EMPA can be confusing because the edenites form a solid solution
series with many other amphibole species.

Also the analytical techniques have difficulties in analyzing lighter elements ( in particular EDS ), and
none of the common analytical methods can determine the Fe2+/Fe3+. Calculated Fe2+/Fe3+ ratios
are approximations

Naming and Discovery of edenite

Edenite was first described as a new mineral in 1831 by Charles Upham Shepard, but he stated that
the name was in common usage before that time and he referred to the mineral's locality at
Edenville, Orange Co., New York, USA. There were no analyses in the original description, and it was
considered a variety of hornblende distinguished by its peculiar grey to hairbrown color. Two
later analyses of topotype material, reported by C.F. Rammelsberg (1858) ( composition corresponds
to borderline tremolite-magnesio-hornblende) and by Hawes, G.W. (1878) differ considerably, and
neither falls within the edenite range of the IMA78 or any of the later amphibole nomenclatures.
The current chemical formula was proposed by Sundius (1946 ), and material corresponding to
edenite was known from several localities by then. From which locality edenite was first recorded is
debatable, partly because the chemical boundaries of edenite has changed over time, and partly
because the quality of many of the earlier analyses is questionable.
Sundius (1946) also introduced ferro-edenite as a new end member, albeit theoretical: The species
ferrorichterite and ferroedenite ,,,,, lack analogies in the analyses.. Sundius was obviously not
aware that an analysis in agreement with the ferro-edenite formula from the Langesundfjord area of
Norway was published in 1929. Today, Mont Royal in Canada is considered as the type locality for
ferro-edenite based on data from 1983, but without a formal type description.
Fluoro-edenite was formally described and approved in 2000, based on material from Biancavilla,
but large etched crystals of fluoro-edenite to 1 foot long from the Chateaugay mine at Lyon
Mountain, USA, were reported as "hornblende" by Whitlock (1907) and as hastingsite by Gallagher
(1937).
Historical and varietal names
Edenite is one of the amphibole compositions that falls within the informal name hornblende used in
many textbooks.
In the first amphibole nomenclature, Leake considered silicic-(ferro)-edinite and edenitic-(ferro)-
hornblende as valid minerals. In literature from the latter half of the 20th century, these names may
be found, and they do refer to minerals with defined chemical boundaries that was valid minerals at
the time.
An amphibole composition corresponding to the mineral ferro-fluoro-edenite has been analysed in a
hornblende-granite from the Pankshin Complex in Nigeria, and potassic-ferro-chloro-edenite are
known from Wilroy, Canada. These compositions corresponds to new minerals, but has not been
sufficiently described to be considered for approval by IMA. They are therefore considered named
amphiboles

Origin/geologic environment
The edenite minerals is not amongst the most common amphibole species, but they have been
identified from many different rock types and geological settings, albeit not often as well formed
crystals or as the dominant amphibole.

The edenite minerals are most commonly found in metacarbonates, and both fluoro-edenite,
edenite and ferro-edenite are known from this environment. They are also found in many igneous
rocks and edenite minerals are known from both granites and syenites. In this environment ferro-
edenite is the most frequently occurring edenite mineral. Fluoro-edenite has been found as beautiful
small crystals in cavities in volcanic rocks, where they have crystallized from Fluorine rich fluid
phases.

Occurences of edenite

Fluoro-edenite and edenite are known from multiple localities in the Grenville marbles of New York,
USA. Fluoro-edenite is the more common of the two. It occurs in different colors, ranging from pale
to colorless at the Atlas Quarry, via green to dark green crystals from Walling Road to Rutgers mine,
and dark crystals up to 30cm in length from the Chateaugay mine at Lyon Mountain.

Both edenite and fluoro-edenite occurs as pale gray-brown or gray-green crystals to about 2-3 cm
from Edenville where it occurs in the Franklin marble.

Similar occurrences in Grenville marbles are also known north of the border in Ontario, Canada, as
well as in Pargas, Finland. Transparent, light green (fluoro-) edenites are also known from the gem
marbles in Mogok, Myanmar. The edenite minerals are not the only amphiboles at these localities,
and visual identification is not recommended.

It should be noted that re-examination of several samples from the marble quarries in the Franklin
area, kept and labelled as edenite in various museums all around the world, showed these to be
pargasite, or edenitic magniesio-hornblende or pargasitic-magensio-hornblende

Ferro-edenite is a common, primary mineral in the Langesundfjord syenite pegmatites in Southern

Norway. It occurs as short or long prismatic crystals that may exceed 10cm long. The crystals most
frequently have a rough surface and only rarely exhibit well defined crystal faces.
The amphibole composition change in these pegmatites as the magma evolved. Therefore,
amphibole species found have a geographical distribution as a function of magma maturity. Ferro-
edenite is the main amphibole in the western part of the plutonic complex, whereas hastingsite and
magnesio-hastingsite are the dominant amphibole in the central part and magnesio-katophiorite is
the main amphibole in the eastern part of the complex.

Fluoro-edenite has been found as a late forming hydrothermal mineral in volcanic rocks. The type
locality of fluoro-edenite, Biancavilla, Sicily, Italy is such an occurrence. Here fluoro-edenite occurs as
prismatic, acicular and fibrous crystals in cavities. The mineral is so widespread that it has caused
asbestos related illnesses amongst workers in quarries excavating rock for building purposes.

Fluoro-edenite has also been found in similar environments in Monte Somma (Italy), Rotorua (New
Zealand), Le Mont-Dore Massif, France and in Ishigamiyama, Japan, where fluoro-edenite was
described in 1995, five years prior to the type description from Biancaville.