| Saliotite | |
| Category: | Silicate mineral |
| Imasymbol: | Sal[1] |
| Strunz: | 9.EC.60 |
| System: | Monoclinic |
| Class: | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Symmetry: | C2/m |
| Unit Cell: | a = 5.15 Å, b = 8.91 Å c = 23.83 Å; β = 94.23°; Z = 4 |
| Color: | Colorless to white |
| Cleavage: | Perfect on |
| Mohs: | 2 - 3 |
| Luster: | Pearly |
| Streak: | White |
| Diaphaneity: | Transparent |
| Gravity: | 2.75 |
| Opticalprop: | Biaxial (-) |
| Refractive: | nα = 1.580 - 1.590 nβ = 1.580 - 1.590 nγ = 1.590 - 1.600 |
| Birefringence: | δ = 0.010 |
| 2V: | 30° to 50° |
| References: | [2] [3] |
Saliotite is a rare colorless to pearl white phyllosilicate mineral in the smectite group with formula .[2] It is an ordered 1:1 interstratification of cookeite and paragonite. It has perfect cleavage, a pearly luster and leaves a white streak. Its crystal structure is monoclinic, and it is a soft mineral with a hardness rated 2-3 on the Mohs scale.[2] [3]
Saliotite was first described in 1994 for an occurrence in an outcrop of high grade schist north of Almeria, Andalusia, Spain. It was named for French geologist Pierre Saliot.[2]