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Glite Dictionary
gehlenite

gehlenite

9.9
A gray mineral made of calcium, aluminum and silicon found in some volcanic rocks
  • noun
  • Specialized
: gehlenita
  • Samples of gehlenite were collected from the volcanic rock formation for analysis.

Examples

  • Researchers studied the chemical structure of gehlenite to understand its formation in igneous rocks.

  • The rock sample contained gehlenite and other minerals.

  • The geologist identified the crystal as gehlenite under the microscope.

  • Many gehlenites can be found in volcanic rocks.

  • The geologist identified the crystal as gehlenite under the microscope.

  • Samples of gehlenite were collected from the volcanic rock formation for analysis.

  • Researchers studied the chemical structure of gehlenite to understand its formation in igneous rocks.

Surface Forms

gehlenite singular
gehlenites plural

Morphology

gehlenite = Gehlen (opaque) = gehlen + ite

The suffix '-ite' signals a mineral, but the base 'Gehlen' is a proper name and does not help a learner derive the meaning or properties of the mineral.

Etymology

Gehlenite comes from the surname Gehlen plus the common mineral ending -ite, which means 'stone' and appears in names like calcite and graphite. So gehlenite is literally 'Gehlen's stone', which is why it is the name given to this specific gray mineral found in volcanic rocks.