lepidomelane

9.9

A black shiny mineral with a lot of iron found in igneous rocks

noun
/ˌlɛpɪdəˈmɛleɪn/

Specialized

: lepidomelana

Granites rich in lepidomelane tend to have a darker hue than those containing other micas.

Examples

The dark lepidomelane crystals were easily identified under the microscope.
Geologists discovered a vein of lepidomelane in the volcanic rock sample.
The lepidomelane found in this rock is quite striking.
Many geologists study lepidomelanes for their unique properties.
Geologists discovered a vein of lepidomelane in the volcanic rock sample.
Granites rich in lepidomelane tend to have a darker hue than those containing other micas.
The dark lepidomelane crystals were easily identified under the microscope.

Synonyms

biotite

vslepidomelane

Specialized

1 9.9

A dark brown to black mineral that forms thin shiny sheets in many rocks

is a specific iron-rich black variety limited to igneous rocks

Surface Forms

lepidomelane singular

lepidomelanes plural

Morphology

lepidomelane = lepido + melane

Although the word is a classical scientific formation built from elements meaning roughly 'scale' and 'black', an average learner would not be able to infer this specific mineral sense from those parts.

Etymology

Lepidomelane comes from Greek parts lepido- meaning 'scale' and melane meaning 'black', a bit like melanin. So the name makes an easy image of a 'black, scaly' mineral, which fits a dark, iron-rich mica that forms thin, shiny flakes.