Phyllosilicate clay mineral
Hectorite is a rare soft, greasy, white clay mineral with a chemical formula of Na0.3 (Mg,Li)3 Si4 O10 (OH)2 .[ 2]
Hectorite was first described in 1941 and named for an occurrence in the United States near Hector (in San Bernardino County, California ,[ 4] 30 miles east of Barstow .) Hectorite occurs with bentonite as an alteration product of clinoptilolite from volcanic ash and tuff with a high glass content.[ 2] Hectorite is also found in the beige/brown clay ghassoul , mined in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco .[ 5] A large deposit of hectorite is also found at the Thacker Pass lithium deposit , located within the McDermitt Caldera in Nevada. The Thacker Pass lithium deposit could be a significant source of lithium .[ 6]
Despite its rarity, it is economically viable as the Hector mine sits over a large deposit of the mineral. Hectorite is mostly used in making cosmetics, but has uses in chemical and other industrial applications, and is a mineral source for refined lithium metal.[ 7]
See also
References
^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols" . Mineralogical Magazine . 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode :2021MinM...85..291W . doi :10.1180/mgm.2021.43 . S2CID 235729616 .
^ a b c Anthony JW, Bideaux RA, Bladh KW, et al. (1995). "Hectorite" (PDF) . Handbook of mineralogy . Tucson, Ariz.: Mineral Data Publishing. ISBN 9780962209734 . OCLC 20759166 .
^ "Hectorite Mineral Data" . webmineral.com . Retrieved 3 Apr 2019 .
^ a b Jololyn R (2007). "Hectorite: Mineral information, data and localities" . www.mindat.org . Retrieved 3 Apr 2019 .
^ Benhammou A, Tanouti B, Nibou L, et al. (2009). "Mineralogical and Physicochemical Investigation of Mg-Smectite from Jbel Ghassoul, Morocco". Clays and Clay Minerals . 57 (2): 264–270. Bibcode :2009CCM....57..264B . doi :10.1346/CCMN.2009.0570212 . S2CID 95505225 .
^ Bradley, Dwight C.; Stillings, Lisa L.; Jaskula, Brian W.; Munk, LeeAnn; McCauley, Andrew D. (2017). Lithium, Chapter K of Critical Mineral Resources of the United States—Economic and Environmental Geology and Prospects for Future Supply (PDF) (Report). United States Geological Survey .
^ Moores S (2007). "Between a rock and a salt lake". Industrial Minerals . 477 : 58–69.