# Zorite

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{{Short description|Silicate mineral}}
{{Infobox mineral
| name        = Zorite
| category    = [Inosilicate](/source/Inosilicate)
| image       = Zorite-99360.jpg
| imagesize   = 260px
| caption     =
| formula     = {{chem2|Na2Ti(Si,Al)3O9*nH2O}}
| IMAsymbol   = Zor<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}</ref>
| molweight   = 1,538.53 g/mol
| strunz      = 9.DG.45
| system      = Orthorhombic
| class       = Dipyramidal (mmm) <br/>[H-M symbol](/source/H-M_symbol): (2/m 2/m 2/m)
| symmetry    = ''Cmmm''
| unit cell   = a = 23.91&nbsp;[Å](/source/%C3%85ngstr%C3%B6m), b = 7.23&nbsp;Å <br/>c = 14.24&nbsp;Å; V=2,461.66 Å<sup>3</sup>; Z&nbsp;=&nbsp;1
| color       = Rose red
| habit       = Prismic acicular crystals, sometimes radiating
| twinning    = 
| cleavage    = Perfect
| fracture    = 
| tenacity    = 
| mohs  = 3~4
| luster      = Vitreous
| refractive  = n = 1.59
| opticalprop = Anisotropic, biaxial
| birefringence = 
| pleochroism = x=rose, y=colorless, z=blue
| streak      = White
| gravity     = 2.18 
| density     = 
| melt        = 
| fusibility  = 
| diagnostic  = 
| solubility  = 
| diaphaneity = Transparent
| other       = Found in cavities and fractures in alkalic [pegmatite](/source/pegmatite)
| references  = <ref name=Webmin>[http://www.webmineral.com/data/Zorite.shtml Webmineral data]</ref><ref>[http://un2sg4.unige.ch/athena/cgi-bin/minfich?s=ZORITE Athena Minerals]</ref><ref name=HBM>[http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/zorite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy]</ref><ref name=Mindat/>
}}

'''Zorite''' is a [silicate mineral](/source/silicate_mineral) with the chemical formula of {{chem2|Na2Ti(Si,Al)3O9*nH2O}}. It is named because of its pink color, after the Russian word "zoria" which refers to the rosy hue of the sky at dawn.<ref name=Mindat>[http://www.mindat.org/min-4431.html Zorite: Zorite mineral information and data.] Mindat.org</ref> It is primarily found in [Mount Karnasurta](/source/Mount_Karnasurta), [Lovozero Massif](/source/Lovozero_Massif), [Kola Peninsula](/source/Kola_Peninsula), Russia.<ref name=Webmin/> The [Lovozero Massif](/source/Lovozero_Massif) is an area with an [igneous](/source/igneous) mountain range, home to various types of minerals such as [eudialyte](/source/eudialyte), [loparite](/source/loparite), and natrosilitite. 

Crystallographically, zorite belongs in the orthorhombic group, which has 3 axes, a, b, and c that are of unequal lengths (a≠b≠c) that form 90° with each other. It also belongs in the point group 2/m2/m2/m. The state of aggregation for zorite is acicular. Zorite has perfect cleavage along the planes {010} and {001}, while having poor cleavage along the plane {110}.<ref>Fleischer, M. (1973) New Mineral Names. American Mineralogist, 58, 1113-1114.</ref> Zorite is anisotropic, which means that the velocity of light is not the same in all directions. It belongs in the biaxial group, because it is an orthorhombic mineral.<ref name=Mindat /> Under plane polarized light, zorite displays different colors depending on the angle that the light hits the mineral. This quality is called pleochroism and zorite is rose along the x-axis, colorless along the y-axis, and bluish along the z-axis.<ref>[http://www.webmineral.com/data/Zorite.shtml Zorite Mineral Data<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The index of refraction of zorite is 1.59,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110714102700/http://www.mineralatlas.com/mineral%20optical%20descriptions/Z/zoriteopt.htm mineral general info<!-- Bot generated title -->]}}</ref> which is the velocity of light through vacuum over the velocity of light through zorite. Zorite is studied to better understand silicate structures. 

In 2003, zorite was looked into to analyze the symmetry and topology of a family of three minerals found in Russia, Nenadkevichite, Labuntsovite, and Zorite.<ref>Belokoneva. (2005) Kristallografiya, 50-1, 19-26 (in Russian).</ref> Zorite was also studied to comprehend how silicate structures change when an element is replaced, for example when the [sodium](/source/sodium) is replaced with [potassium](/source/potassium), [caesium](/source/caesium)<ref>N.V. Zubkova, D.Yu. Pushcharovsky, G.Giester, I.V. Pekov, A.G. Turchkova, E. Tillmanns, N.V. Chukanov. (2005) Kristallografiya, 50-3, 411–417 (in Russian)</ref> and [phosphorus](/source/phosphorus).<ref>N.V. Zubkova, D.Yu. Pushcharovsky, G.Giester, I.V. Pekov, A.G. Turchkova, E. Tillmanns, N.V. Chukanov. (2006) Kristallografiya, 51-3, 413–416 (in Russian).</ref>  Furthermore, because of its rarity, zorite is one of the collector's items coveted for its scarcity, as well as it being a valuable source to understanding silicate topology.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*Mer'kov, A.N., Bussen, I.V., Goiko, E.A., Kul'chitskaya, E.A., Men'shikov, Yu.P., and Nedorezova, A.P. (1973) Raite and zorite - new minerals from the Lovozero Tundra. Zapiski Vserossiyskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva, 102, 54-62 (in Russian).

Category:Aluminium minerals
Category:Sodium minerals
Category:Titanium minerals
Category:Inosilicates
Category:Orthorhombic minerals
Category:Minerals in space group 65

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Zorite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorite) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorite?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.