Named by Bevan M. French, Peter A. Jezek, and Daniel E. Appleman in 1978 in honor of Virgil Everett Barnes (June 11, 1903, Chehalis, Washington - January 28, 1998, Austin, Texas), Professor of Mineralogy, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA. It recognizes his pioneering work on tektites and natural glasses and his collection/study of the material from Macusani, Peru (the type locality).

Co-Type Localities:

ⓘ Macusani, Carabaya Province, Puno, Peru
ⓘ Macusani glass, Macusani, Carabaya Province, Puno, Peru

Naturally occurring high-temperature solid solution between beta-quartz and spodumene (LiAlSi₂O₆).

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Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

4188

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:4188:7

IMA Classification of VirgiliteHide

IMA status:

Approved

Approval year:

1977

First published:

1978

Type description reference:

French, Bevan M., Jezek, Peter A., Appleman, Daniel E. (1978) Virgilite: a new lithium aluminum silicate mineral from the Macusani glass, Peru. American Mineralogist, 63 (5-6) 461-465

Classification of VirgiliteHide

Strunz-mindat (2025):

9.FA.15

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
F : Tektosilicates without zeolitic H₂O
A : Tektosilicates without additional non-tetrahedral anions

Dana 8th ed.:

75.3.1.1

75 : TECTOSILICATES Si Tetrahedral Frameworks
3 : Si Tetrahedral Frameworks with silica derivative structures

Hey's CIM Ref.:

16.1.4

16 : Silicates Containing Aluminum and other Metals
1 : Aluminosilicates of Li

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Symbol	Source	Reference
Vir	IMA–CNMNC	Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Pronunciation of VirgiliteHide

Pronunciation:

Play	Recorded by	Country
	Jolyon Ralph	United Kingdom

Physical Properties of VirgiliteHide

Lustre:

Vitreous

Transparency:

Transparent

Colour:

Colourless

Hardness:

VHN₁₀₀=681 - 722 - Vickers

Hardness Data:

Could not be measured

Density:

2.46 g/cm³ (Calculated)

Optical Data of VirgiliteHide

Type:

Uniaxial (-)

Chemistry of VirgiliteHide

Mindat Formula:

LiAlSi₂O₆

Ideal formula; real formula is that of a solid-solution series.

Element Weights:

Element	% weight
O	51.586 %
Si	30.185 %
Al	14.499 %
Li	3.730 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.

Elements listed:

Al, Li, O, Si - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Common Impurities:

Fe,P

Crystallography of VirgiliteHide

Crystal System:

Hexagonal

Class (H-M):

6 2 2 - Trapezohedral

Space Group:

P6₂ 2 2

Cell Parameters:

a = 5.13 Å, c = 5.45 Å

Ratio:

a:c = 1 : 1.062

Unit Cell V:

124.21 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Crystal StructureHide

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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure

ID	Species	Reference	Link	Year	Locality	Pressure (GPa)	Temp (K)
0010668	Virgilite	Li C T (1968) The crystal structure of LiAlSi2O6 III (high-quartz solid solution) Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie 127 327-348		1968		0	293
0014849	Virgilite	Muller G, Paulus H, Stiefel J (1990) Synthesis and structure of beta-quartz type Na0.5H0.5AlSi206 as compared to LiAlSi206 Neues Jahrbuch fur Mineralogie, Monatshefte 1990 493-503		1990	synthetic	0	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

data_global
_chemical_name_mineral 'Virgilite'
loop_
_publ_author_name
'Li C T'
_journal_name_full 'Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie'
_journal_volume 127 
_journal_year 1968
_journal_page_first 327
_journal_page_last 348
_publ_section_title
;
 The crystal structure of LiAlSi2O6 III (high-quartz solid solution)
;
_database_code_amcsd 0010668
_chemical_formula_sum 'Li.333 (Al.333 Si.667) O2'
_cell_length_a 5.217
_cell_length_b 5.217
_cell_length_c 5.464
_cell_angle_alpha 90
_cell_angle_beta 90
_cell_angle_gamma 120
_cell_volume 128.790
_exptl_crystal_density_diffrn      2.399
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M 'P 62 2 2'
loop_
_space_group_symop_operation_xyz
  'x,y,z'
  'x,x-y,1/3-z'
  'x-y,x,1/3+z'
  'y,x,2/3-z'
  '-y,x-y,2/3+z'
  '-x+y,y,-z'
  '-x,-y,z'
  '-x,-x+y,1/3-z'
  '-x+y,-x,1/3+z'
  '-y,-x,2/3-z'
  'y,-x+y,2/3+z'
  'x-y,-y,-z'
loop_
_atom_site_label
_atom_site_fract_x
_atom_site_fract_y
_atom_site_fract_z
_atom_site_occupancy
Li   0.00000   0.00000   0.00000   0.33330
Al   0.50000   0.00000   0.00000   0.33330
Si   0.50000   0.00000   0.00000   0.66670
O   0.20570   0.41140   0.50000   1.00000
loop_
_atom_site_aniso_label
_atom_site_aniso_U_11
_atom_site_aniso_U_22
_atom_site_aniso_U_33
_atom_site_aniso_U_12
_atom_site_aniso_U_13
_atom_site_aniso_U_23
Li 0.00476 0.01065 0.07714 0.00538 0.00000 0.00000
Al 0.00434 0.00290 0.00272 0.00145 0.00000 0.00000
Si 0.00434 0.00290 0.00272 0.00145 0.00000 0.00000
O 0.01820 0.01944 0.02813 0.00972 0.01113 0.00000

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
4.442 Å	(13)
3.441 Å	(100)
1.870 Å	(25)
1.605 Å	(9)
1.408 Å	(9)
2.567 Å	(6)
2.224 Å	(6)

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
Stage 3a: Earth’s earliest Hadean crust	>4.50
9 : Lava/xenolith minerals (hornfels, sanidinite facies)
Near-surface Processes
26 : Hadean detrital minerals

Type Occurrence of VirgiliteHide

Co-Type Localities:

ⓘ Macusani, Carabaya Province, Puno, Peru
ⓘ Macusani glass, Macusani, Carabaya Province, Puno, Peru

General Appearance of Type Material:

Colorless euhedral crystals up to 50 microns across.

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA, Meteorite collection number NMNH 2143-17.

Geological Setting of Type Material:

Found in volcanic glass

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Reference:

French, Bevan M., Jezek, Peter A., Appleman, Daniel E. (1978) Virgilite: a new lithium aluminum silicate mineral from the Macusani glass, Peru. American Mineralogist, 63 (5-6) 461-465

Synonyms of VirgiliteHide

IMA1977-009

Other Language Names for VirgiliteHide

German:Virgilit

Japanese:ヴァージライト

Russian:Виргилит

Spanish:Virgilita

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

9.FA.	Hexacelsian	BaAl₂Si₂O₈	Hex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P6₃/mcm
9.FA.	Wodegongjieite	KCa₃(Al₇Si₉)O₃₂	Hex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P6/mcc
9.FA.05	Panunzite	(K,Na)AlSiO₄	Hex. 6 : P6₃
9.FA.05	Yoshiokaite	(Ca,Na)[Al(Al,Si)O₄]	Trig. 3 : P3
9.FA.05	Nepheline	Na₃K(Al₄Si₄O₁₆)	Hex. 6 : P6₃
9.FA.05	Trinepheline	NaAlSiO₄	Hex. 6 : P6₁
9.FA.05	Davidsmithite	(Ca,◻)₂Na₆Al₈Si₈O₃₂	Hex. 6 : P6₃
9.FA.05	Kaliophilite	KAlSiO₄	Trig. 3 : P3
9.FA.05	Kalsilite	KAlSiO₄	Hex. 6 2 2 : P6₃ 2 2
9.FA.05	Carnegieite	NaAlSiO₄	Tric.
9.FA.05	Megakalsilite	KAlSiO₄	Hex. 6 : P6₃
9.FA.05	Trikalsilite	K₂NaAl₃(SiO₄)₃	Hex. 6 : P6₃
9.FA.10	Malinkoite	NaBSiO₄	Hex. 6 : P6₃
9.FA.25	Lisitsynite	KBSi₂O₆	Orth. 2 2 2 : P2 2 2
9.FA.30	Ferrisanidine	K[Fe³⁺Si₃O₈]	Mon. 2/m : B2/m
9.FA.30	Buddingtonite	(NH₄)(AlSi₃O₈)	Mon. 2 : P2₁
9.FA.30	Rubicline	Rb(AlSi₃O₈)	Mon. 2/m : B2/m
9.FA.30	Monalbite	NaAlSi₃O₈	Mon. 2/m : B2/m
9.FA.30	Microcline	K(AlSi₃O₈)	Tric. 1
9.FA.30 va	Germanate-celsian	BaAl₂Ge₂O₈
9.FA.30	Celsian	Ba(Al₂Si₂O₈)	Mon. 2/m
9.FA.30	Sanidine	K(AlSi₃O₈)	Mon. 2/m : B2/m
9.FA.30	Orthoclase	K(AlSi₃O₈)	Mon. 2/m : B2/m
9.FA.35	Reedmergnerite	NaBSi₃O₈	Tric. 1 : P1
9.FA.35	Albite	Na(AlSi₃O₈)	Tric. 1
9.FA.35	Anorthite	Ca(Al₂Si₂O₈)	Tric. 1 : P1
9.FA.40	Paracelsian	Ba(Al₂Si₂O₈)	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
9.FA.45	Svyatoslavite	Ca(Al₂Si₂O₈)	Mon. 2 : P2₁
9.FA.45	Kumdykolite	Na(AlSi₃O₈)	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnnm
9.FA.50	Slawsonite	Sr(Al₂Si₂O₈)	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
9.FA.55	Lisetite	CaNa₂Al₄Si₄O₁₆	Orth. mm2
9.FA.60	Stronalsite	Na₂SrAl₄Si₄O₁₆	Orth.
9.FA.60	Banalsite	Na₂BaAl₄Si₄O₁₆	Orth. mm2 : Iba2
9.FA.65	Maleevite	BaB₂Si₂O₈	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
9.FA.65	Pekovite	SrB₂Si₂O₈	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
9.FA.65	Danburite	CaB₂Si₂O₈	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
9.FA.70	Liebermannite	KAlSi₃O₈	Tet. 4/m : I4/m
9.FA.70	Lingunite	(Na,Ca)AlSi₃O₈	Tet. 4/m : I4/m
9.FA.70	Stöfflerite	CaAl₂Si₂O₈	Tet. 4/m : I4/m
9.FA.75	Pfaffenbergite	KNa₃(Al₄Si₁₂)O₃₂	Hex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P6/mcc
9.FA.75	Kokchetavite	K(AlSi₃O₈)	Hex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P6/mcc

Other InformationHide

Health Risks:

No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

Internet Links for VirgiliteHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-4188.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

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External Links:

Look for Virgilite on Webmineral

Look for Virgilite on Wikipedia

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Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project

References and PDF downloads at RRUFF project

American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database

Handbook of Mineralogy page PDF

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References for VirgiliteHide

Reference List:

Li, Chi-Tang (1968) The crystal structure of LiAlSi₂O₆ III (high-quartz solid solution). Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, 127 (5-6). 327-348 doi:10.1524/zkri.1968.127.5-6.327

French, Bevan M., Jezek, Peter A., Appleman, Daniel E. (1978) Virgilite: a new lithium aluminum silicate mineral from the Macusani glass, Peru. American Mineralogist, 63 (5-6) 461-465

Fleischer, M., Cabri, L.J., Chao, G.Y., Pabst, A. (1980) New minerals names. American Mineralogist: 65: 811-812.

Müller, G., Paulus, H., Stiefel, J. (1990) Synthesis and structure of ß-quartz type Na0.5H0.5AlSi2O6 as compared to LiAlSi206. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Monatshefte: 1990: 493-503.

(2001) Virgilite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America

Localities for VirgiliteHide

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the

symbol to view information about a locality. The

symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.

Locality ListHide

- This locality has map coordinates listed.

- This locality has estimated coordinates. ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence. ? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.

- Good crystals or important locality for species.

- World class for species or very significant. (TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species. (FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties). ~~Struck out~~ - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.


Peru (TL)
Puno Carabaya Province ⓘ Macusani (TL)	French et al. (1978) +1 other reference
ⓘ Macusani glass (TL)	French et al. (1978) +1 other reference

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Virgilite

Unique IdentifiersHide

IMA Classification of VirgiliteHide

Classification of VirgiliteHide

Mineral SymbolsHide

Pronunciation of VirgiliteHide

Physical Properties of VirgiliteHide

Optical Data of VirgiliteHide

Chemistry of VirgiliteHide

Crystallography of VirgiliteHide

Crystal StructureHide

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Geological EnvironmentHide

Type Occurrence of VirgiliteHide

Synonyms of VirgiliteHide

Other Language Names for VirgiliteHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

Other InformationHide

Internet Links for VirgiliteHide

References for VirgiliteHide

Localities for VirgiliteHide

Locality ListHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide