Home > Type Localities III – March 1 > MS1173 Cryolithionite

Cryolithionite - Sold


The cryolite pegmatite in Arsuk Firth, Greenland was an important early industrial source of aluminum. The Ivigtut pegmatite had unusual chemistry, consisting mostly of aluminum fluorides. Cryolithionite is an unusual mineral, a sodium lithium aluminum fluoride with the garnet crystal structure! Ussing (1904) named the species for its similarity to cryolite and its lithium content. Cryolithionite forms a partial crystal, 4 by 2.5 cm, embedded in massive cryolite. This specimen was part of Joseph Urban (jurbanite) mineral collection, whose label and also a label from the University of Copenhagen accompany the specimen.