Bixbite
General
Category	Mineral (cyclosilicate)
Chemical formula	Be3(AlMn)2Si6O18
Identification
Color	Orange-red to red to purple-red
Crystal habit	Elongate or tabular first order prisms.
Crystal system	Hexagonal
Cleavage	Basal, seldom visible
Fracture	Conchoidal
Mohs Scale hardness	7.5 - 8.0
Luster	Vitreous
Refractive index	1.567-1.580
Pleochroism	Purple-red/orange-red to red
Streak	White
Specific gravity	2.66-2.70

Bixbite (also known as red beryl, red emerald, or scarlet emerald) is a red variety of beryl (emerald), Be₃(Al,Mn)₂(SiO₃)₆. It was named after the Utah mineral collector Maynard Bixby, who first discovered it at Topaz Cove in the Thomas Range of Juab County, Utah ^[1]. Bixbite should not be confused with the similarly named bixbyite. Bixbite is rare and has only been reported from a handful of locations including: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Mineral (disambiguation). ... The silicate minerals make up the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals. ... A chemical formula is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. ... General Name, symbol, number beryllium, Be, 4 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, period, block 2, 2, s Appearance white-gray metallic Standard atomic weight 9. ... Aluminum redirects here. ... General Name, symbol, number manganese, Mn, 25 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 7, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Standard atomic weight 54. ... Not to be confused with Silicone. ... General Name, symbol, number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, period, block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... In mineralogy, shape and size give rise to descriptive terms applied to the typical appearance, or habit of crystals. ... A crystal system is a category of space groups, which characterize symmetry of structures in three dimensions with translational symmetry in three directions, having a discrete class of point groups. ... Cleavage, in mineralogy, is the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite planes, creating smooth surfaces, of which there are several named types: Basal cleavage: cleavage parallel to the base of a crystal, or to the plane of the lateral axes. ... For other uses, see Fracture (disambiguation). ... Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer. ... Lustre (American English: luster) is a description of the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal, rock or mineral. ... The refractive index (or index of refraction) of a medium is a measure for how much the speed of light (or other waves such as sound waves) is reduced inside the medium. ... Pleochroism is an optical phenomenon in which grains of a rock appear to be different colors when observed at different angles,under a petrographic microscope. ... The streak (also called powder color) of a mineral is the color of the powder produced when it is dragged across a unweathered surface. ... Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ... Three varieties of beryl: Morganite, Aquamarine, and Heliodor The mineral beryl is a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2(SiO3)6. ... Bixbyite is a manganese iron oxide mineral with formula: (Fe,Mn)2O3. ...

• Wah Wah mountains, Beaver County, Utah
• Paramount Canyon, Sierra County, New Mexico
• Round Mountain, Sierra County, New Mexico
• Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah

The greatest concentration of gem-grade red beryl comes from the Violet Claim in the Wah Wah mountains of mid-western Utah, discovered in 1958 by Lamar Hodges, of Fillmore, Utah, while he was prospecting for Uranium ^[2]. Beaver County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. ... The Black Range (also called the Mimbres Mountains) is an igneous mountain range running north-south in Sierra and Grant counties in west-central New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. ... Sierra County is a county located in the state of New Mexico. ... The Black Range (also called the Mimbres Mountains) is an igneous mountain range running north-south in Sierra and Grant counties in west-central New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. ... Sierra County is a county located in the state of New Mexico. ... Juab County is a county located in the state of Utah. ... General Name, symbol, number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, period, block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Standard atomic weight 238. ...

While gem beryls are ordinarily found in pegmatites and certain metamorphic rocks, Bixbite occurs in topaz-bearing rhyolites. It formed by crystallizing under low pressure and high temperature from a pneumatolitic phase along fractures or within near-surface miarolitic cavities of rhyolitic magmas. Associated minerals include bixbyite, quartz, orthoclase, topaz, spessartine garnet, pseudobrookite and hematite. The red color is thought to be from manganese substituting for aluminium in the beryl structure. This article is about the mineral or gemstone. ... This page is about a volcanic rock. ... Miarolitic cavities (or miarolitic texture) are typically crystal lined irregular cavities or vugs most commonly found in granitic pegmatites, but also found in a variety of igneous rocks. ... Bixbyite is a manganese iron oxide mineral with formula: (Fe,Mn)2O3. ... For other uses, see Quartz (disambiguation). ... Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8) is an important tectosilicate mineral, which forms igneous rock. ... This article is about the mineral or gemstone. ... Garnet is a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. ... Hematite, also spelled haematite, is the mineral form of Iron(III) oxide, (Fe2O3), one of several iron oxides. ... General Name, symbol, number manganese, Mn, 25 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 7, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Standard atomic weight 54. ... Aluminum redirects here. ...

Gem-quality bixbite is very rare, and the largest faceted gemstones are less than three carats (600 mg) in size.

See also

• List of minerals
• List of minerals named after people

Gem animals. ... This is a list of minerals named after people. ...

References

• Mindat

1. ^ Red Emerald History (2007-11-21). Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
2. ^ Red Emerald History (2007-11-21). Retrieved on 2007-11-21.