PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- GROUP Silicates - phyllosilicates
- COMPOSITION LiAlSi4O10
- COLOR Colourless, greyish white, pink or green
- CRYSTALLINE SYSTEM Monoclinic
- CRYSTALLINE HABIT Usually aggregates
- HARDNESS 6.5
- FRACTURE Subconchoidal
- EXFOLIATION Perfect Basal
- GLOSS Vitreous
- STRIP White
- TRANSPARENCY From transparent to translucent
- SPECIFIC GRAVITY 2.4
- REFRACTIVE INDEX 1.50 - 1.51
MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Petalite is a lithium aluminosilicate. Its name comes from the Greek "petalon", which means "leaf", referring to its exfoliation in the form of thin layers that look like leaves. It can be pink, gray, white and greenish tones.
Usually petalite forms aggregates and is found in granitic pegmatites, with albite, quartz and lepidolite. Petalite is an important source of lithium, with which high-performance batteries are manufactured.
Deposits: Canada, Russia, Zimbabwe, Australia, United States, Brazil and Madagascar.
THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES
The petalite is known as a shamanic stone. It is credited with a high vibration that helps open cosmic and spiritual consciousness. It is a stone that favors meditation and purification. It helps review and transmute the causes of internal disorders and heal ancestral family ties. Activates and energizes all energy centers and provides protection and cleansing. Physically it is said that petalite acts on the endocrine system.
