Beryllonite

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title: "Beryllonite" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["beryllium-minerals", "phosphate-minerals", "monoclinic-minerals", "minerals-in-space-group-14"] description: "Phosphate mineral" topic_path: "general/beryllium-minerals" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllonite" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Phosphate mineral ::

::data[format=table title="infobox mineral"]

Field	Value
name	Beryllonite
category	Phosphate minerals
image	Beryllonite.jpg
imagesize	260px
caption	Beryllonite (whitish) with tourmaline variety indicolite (blue) from Paprok, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. Specimen size 4 cm
formula	NaBePO4
IMAsymbol	Bel
strunz	8.AA.10
dana	38.01.05.01
system	Monoclinic
class	Prismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)
symmetry	P21/n
color	Colorless, white to pale yellow
habit	Crystals tabular {010} to short prismatic also in spherical aggregates, fibrous, massive; orthorhombic pseudo-symmetry
twinning	polysynthetic, contact and penetration twins; pseudo-hexagonal stellate forms
cleavage	{010} perfect; {100} good, interrupted; {101} indistinct; {001} in traces
fracture	Conchoidal
tenacity	Brittle
mohs	5.5 – 6
luster	Vitreous to adamantine, may be pearly on {010}
streak	White
diaphaneity	Transparent to translucent
gravity	2.8
opticalprop	Biaxial (−)
refractive	nα = 1.552 nβ = 1.558 nγ = 1.561
birefringence	δ = 0.009
2V	68°
references
::

| name = Beryllonite | category = Phosphate minerals | boxwidth = | boxbgcolor = | image = Beryllonite.jpg | imagesize = 260px | alt = | caption = Beryllonite (whitish) with tourmaline variety indicolite (blue) from Paprok, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. Specimen size 4 cm | formula = NaBePO4 | IMAsymbol=Bel | molweight = | strunz = 8.AA.10 | dana = 38.01.05.01 | system = Monoclinic | class = Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) | symmetry = P21/n | color = Colorless, white to pale yellow | colour = | habit = Crystals tabular {010} to short prismatic also in spherical aggregates, fibrous, massive; orthorhombic pseudo-symmetry | twinning = polysynthetic, contact and penetration twins; pseudo-hexagonal stellate forms | cleavage = {010} perfect; {100} good, interrupted; {101} indistinct; {001} in traces | fracture = Conchoidal | tenacity = Brittle | mohs = 5.5 – 6 | luster = Vitreous to adamantine, may be pearly on {010} | streak = White | diaphaneity = Transparent to translucent | gravity = 2.8 | density = | polish = | opticalprop = Biaxial (−) | refractive = nα = 1.552 nβ = 1.558 nγ = 1.561 | birefringence = δ = 0.009 | pleochroism = | 2V = 68° | dispersion = | extinction = | length fast/slow = | fluorescence= | absorption = | melt = | fusibility = | diagnostic = | solubility = | other = | alteration = | references = Beryllonite is a rare phosphate mineral with formula NaBePO4. The tabular to prismatic monoclinic crystals vary from colorless to white or pale yellowish, and are transparent with a vitreous luster. Twinning is common and occurs in several forms. It exhibits perfect cleavage in one direction. The hardness is 5.5 to 6 and the specific gravity is 2.8. Refractive indices are nα = 1.552, nβ = 1.558 and nγ = 1.561. A few crystals have been cut and faceted, but, as the refractive index is no higher than that of quartz, they do not make very brilliant gemstones.

It occurs as a secondary beryllium mineral in granitic and alkalic pegmatites. It was first described from complex crystals and as broken fragments in the disintegrated material of a granitic vein at Stoneham, Oxford County, Maine where it is associated with feldspar, smoky quartz, beryl and columbite. It was discovered by James Dwight Dana in 1888, and named beryllonite for its beryllium content.

References

Sources

• Palache, C., H. Berman, and C. Frondel (1951) Dana’s system of mineralogy, (7th edition), v. II, pp. 677–679

References

1. Warr, L.N.. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine.
2. http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/beryllonite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
3. http://www.mindat.org/min-644.html Mindat.org
4. http://www.webmineral.com/data/Beryllonite.shtml Webmineral data
5. {{EB1911

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