[an-dl-oo-sahyt] 
| an orthorhombic form of aluminum silicate, Al2SiO5, found in schistose rocks. |
| an·da·lu·site (ān'də-lōō'sīt') n. A mineral, aluminum silicate (Al2SiO5), usually found in orthorhombic crystals of various colors. [After Andalusia.] |
andalusite (ān'də-l 'sīt') Pronunciation Key
A hard, grayish white to pinkish brown orthorhombic mineral. Andalusite occurs as nearly square prisms, often with cross-shaped cross sections, in metamorphic rocks. It is a polymorph of kyanite and sillimanite, but forms at shallower depths than they do, and at higher temperatures than kyanite and lower temperatures than sillimanite. Chemical formula: Al2SiO5. |
andalusite
(Al2SiO5), aluminum silicate mineral that occurs in relatively small amounts in various metamorphic rocks, particularly in altered sediments. It is found in commercial quantities in the Inyo Mountains, Mono county, Calif., in the United States; in Kazakhstan; and in South Africa. Such deposits are mined as a raw material for refractories and porcelain used in spark plugs and other products. For detailed physical properties, see silicate mineral (table 2)
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