Mineralpedia Details for Ludwigite
Ludwigite
Named for Ernst Ludwig, an Austrian Professor of Chemistry at the University of Vienna in Austria who was the first to analyze the type material. Ludwigite is a somewhat uncommon, but widespread mineral that can be found in Romania, Italy, Scotland, Sweden, Russia, Iran, the United States, Canada, and North Korea, among others. Typically, Ludwigite occurs in magnesian iron skarn and in contact metamorphic deposits. It is likely that Ludwigite is weakly ferromagnetic, a naturally permanent magnet.
Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/ludwigite.pdf
- Formula
- Mg2Fe3+O2(BO3)
- Crystal System
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal Habit
- Fibrous, Radial, Massive - Fibrous
- Cleavage
- Perfect, None, None
- Luster
- Silky
- Color
- dark green, black, black green
- Streak
- greenish black
- Class
- Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal
- Fracture
- Brittle - Conchoidal
- Hardness
- 5.5
- WebMineral
- View Ludwigite
- Mindat
- View Ludwigite
Ludwigite from Simms Prospect, Spring Canyon, Lemhi Co., Idaho, United States
Long prismatic brown crystals to 1.5cm.
Large, stained grey prismatic crystals to 4cm.
Ludwigite from Butte dist., Silver Bow Co., Montana, United States
A thick layer of compact brown fans of Ludwigite adjacent to a thick seam of gray-black crystalline Magnetite.
Ludwigite from Spring Mtn. Dist., Lemhi Co., Idaho, United States
Brown prismatic crystals of Ludwigite with hackly terminations. The crystals vary from 1mm to 1.5cm. Associated with the Ludwigite are Magnetite octahedrons.
