{{Short description|Type of crystal habit}} thumb|Fibrous Erionite in asbestiform '''Asbestiform''' is a crystal habit. It describes a mineral that grows in a fibrous aggregate of high tensile strength, flexible, long, and thin crystals that readily separate.<ref name=Committee>Committee on Asbestos: Selected Health Effects, 2006, ''Asbestos: Selected Cancers,'' National Academies Press, {{ISBN|978-0309101691}} </ref> The most common asbestiform mineral is chrysotile, commonly called "white asbestos", a magnesium phyllosilicate part of the serpentine group. Erionite, part of the zeolite group is found in asbestiform habit and is highly carcinogenic.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stevens |first1=Michael E. |last2=Paustenbach |first2=Dennis J. |last3=Lockhart |first3=Noah J. |last4=Busboom |first4=Dalton E. |last5=Deckard |first5=Blake M. |last6=Brew |first6=David W. |title=The presence of erionite in North American geologies and the estimated mesothelioma potency by region |journal=Inhalation Toxicology |date=15 March 2024 |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=158–173 |doi=10.1080/08958378.2024.2322496 |pmid=38583132 |bibcode=2024InhTx..36..158S |language=en|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Scarfì |first1=Sonia |last2=Almonti |first2=Vanessa |last3=Mirata |first3=Serena |last4=Passalacqua |first4=Mario |last5=Vernazza |first5=Stefania |last6=Patel |first6=Janki Prakash |last7=Brook |first7=Martin |last8=Hamilton |first8=Ayrton |last9=Kah |first9=Melanie |last10=Gualtieri |first10=Alessandro F. |title=In vitro cyto- and geno-toxicity of asbestiform erionite from New Zealand |journal=Environmental Research |date=January 2025 |volume=265 |article-number=120415 |doi=10.1016/j.envres.2024.120415 |pmid=39579848 |bibcode=2025ER....26520415S |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935124023223 |access-date=29 November 2025|doi-access=free |hdl=2292/70956 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Other asbestiform minerals include the zeolite mordenite,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=John A. |last2=Ballantyne |first2=Bryan |title=Toxicological Assessment of Zeolites |journal=Journal of the American College of Toxicology |date=May 1992 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=259–273 |doi=10.3109/10915819209141860 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3109/10915819209141860 |access-date=24 December 2025 |language=en|url-access=subscription }}</ref> riebeckite, an amphibole whose fibrous form is known as crocidolite or "blue asbestos", and amosite, a cummingtonite-grunerite solid solution series. Another Zeolite that has come to light recently that is asbestiform is fibrous Ferrierite.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mattioli |first1=Michele |last2=Ballirano |first2=Paolo |last3=Pacella |first3=Alessandro |last4=Cangiotti |first4=Michela |last5=Di Lorenzo |first5=Fulvio |last6=Valentini |first6=Laura |last7=Meli |first7=Maria Assunta |last8=Roselli |first8=Carla |last9=Fagiolino |first9=Ivan |last10=Giordani |first10=Matteo |title=Fibrous Ferrierite from Northern Italy: Mineralogical Characterization, Surface Properties, and Assessment of Potential Toxicity |journal=Minerals |date=14 May 2022 |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=626 |doi=10.3390/min12050626 |bibcode=2022Mine...12..626M |doi-access=free |hdl=11573/1672805 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gualtieri |first1=Alessandro F. |last2=Gandolfi |first2=Nicola Bursi |last3=Passaglia |first3=Elio |last4=Pollastri |first4=Simone |last5=Mattioli |first5=Michele |last6=Giordani |first6=Matteo |last7=Ottaviani |first7=Maria Francesca |last8=Cangiotti |first8=Michela |last9=Bloise |first9=Andrea |last10=Barca |first10=Donatella |last11=Vigliaturo |first11=Ruggero |last12=Viani |first12=Alberto |last13=Pasquali |first13=Luca |last14=Gualtieri |first14=Magdalena Lassinantti |title=Is fibrous ferrierite a potential health hazard? Characterization and comparison with fibrous erionite |journal=American Mineralogist |date=1 July 2018 |volume=103 |issue=7 |pages=1044–1055 |doi=10.2138/am-2018-6508 |bibcode=2018AmMin.103.1044G |url=https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Is-fibrous-ferrierite-a-potential-health-hazard-and-Gualtieri-Gandolfi/2d81cbd9232a2eabdf4d99413c0510886b0e56be |access-date=29 November 2025 |language=en |id=103844219|doi-access=free }}</ref>
The United States Environmental Protection Agency explains that, "In general, exposure may occur only when the asbestos-containing material is disturbed or damaged in some way to release particles and fibers into the air."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asbestosremovalbrisbane.com.au/more-information-on-asbestos-removal/|title=More Information on Asbestos Removal|date=2019-07-21|website=Total Asbestos Removal Brisbane|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-07-24}}</ref>
"Mountain leather" is an old-fashioned term for flexible, sheet-like natural formations of asbestiform minerals which resemble leather. Asbestos-containing minerals known to form mountain leather include: actinolite, palygorskite, saponite, sepiolite, tremolite, and zeolite.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mountain Leather|url=https://www.mindat.org/min-9168.html|access-date=2021-09-20|website=www.mindat.org}}</ref>
==See also== *Chrysotile *Erionite
==References== {{reflist}}
{{ Mineral identification}}
Category:Crystallography Category:Mineralogy Category:Mineral habits Category:Asbestos
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