hornblende
Hornblende is a complex inosilicate series of minerals. It is not a recognized mineral in its own right, but the name is used as a general or field term, to refer to a dark amphibole. Hornblende minerals are common in igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Key facts
- Mineral.name
- Hornblende
- Mineral.category
- Silicate mineral
- Mineral.image
- Apatite-(CaOH)-Hornblende-38354.jpg
- Mineral.caption
- Hornblende crystal (dark green) about 35 mm long, with apatite (white)
- Mineral.IMAsymbol
- Hbl
- Mineral.color
- Black to dark green or brown
- Mineral.habit
- Hexagonal/granular
- Mineral.system
- Monoclinic
- Mineral.symmetry
- C2/m
- Mineral.cleavage
- Imperfect at 56° and 124°
- Mineral.fracture
- Uneven
- Mineral.mohs
- 5–6
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Physical properties
- Compositional variances
- Occurrence
- Etymology
- See also
- References
Hornblende is a complex inosilicate series of minerals. It is not a recognized mineral in its own right, but the name is used as a general or field term, to refer to a dark amphibole. Hornblende minerals are common in igneous and metamorphic rocks.
The general formula is {{chem2|(Ca,Na)_{2–3}(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Al,Si)8O22(OH,F)2}}.