Sinhalite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Sinhalite
Flag of Sri Lanka
Usually in irregular masses in high grade metamorphic rocks; rarely forms euhedral crystals in mineralized marbles.
Chemically very similar to pseudosinhalite.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Sinhalite.
Chemically very similar to pseudosinhalite.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Sinhalite.Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3672
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3672:2
IMA Classification of Sinhalite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
MgAlBO4
First published:
1952
Classification of Sinhalite
6.AC.05
6 : BORATES
A : Monoborates
C : B(O,OH)4, without and with additional anions; 1(T), 1(T)+OH, etc
6 : BORATES
A : Monoborates
C : B(O,OH)4, without and with additional anions; 1(T), 1(T)+OH, etc
24.1.1.1
24 : ANHYDROUS BORATES
1 : A2XO4
24 : ANHYDROUS BORATES
1 : A2XO4
9.5.2
9 : Borates
5 : Borates of Al and rare earths
9 : Borates
5 : Borates of Al and rare earths
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Shl | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Sinhalite
Vitreous, Sub-Vitreous, Resinous
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent
Colour:
Colorless, pale gray, pale yellow, pale pink, green-brown to dark brown
Streak:
White
Hardness:
6½ - 7 on Mohs scale
Cleavage:
None Observed
Fracture:
Sub-Conchoidal
Density:
3.475 - 3.50 g/cm3 (Measured) 3.45 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Sinhalite
Type:
Biaxial (-)
Dispersion:
r > v strong
Comments:
α = deeper brown, β = green, γ = lighter brown.
Chemistry of Sinhalite
Mindat Formula:
MgAl(BO4)
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Sinhalite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm(2/m2/m2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:
Pnma
Cell Parameters:
a = 4.328 Å, b = 9.868 Å, c = 5.676 Å
α = 90°, β = 90°, γ = 90°
α = 90°, β = 90°, γ = 90°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.439 : 1 : 0.575
Unit Cell V:
242.41 ų
Z:
4
Morphology:
Crystals very rare, usually in granular masses.
Comment:
Non-standard setting Pbnm.
Crystal Structure
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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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0014441 | Sinhalite | Fang J H, Newnham R E (1965) The crystal structure of sinhalite Mineralogical Magazine 35 196-199 |  | 1965 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 293 |
| 0006536 | Sinhalite | Hayward C L, Angel R J, Ross N L (1994) The structural redetermination and crystal chemistry of sinhalite, MgAlBO4 European Journal of Mineralogy 6 313-321 | 1994 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 4.94 Å | (40) |
| 3.96 Å | (30) |
| 3.25 Å | (70) |
| 2.62 Å | (60) |
| 2.38 Å | (40) |
| 2.31 Å | (50) |
| 2.14 Å | (100) |
| 1.62 Å | (90) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Near-surface Processes | |
| 23 : Subaerial aqueous alteration by non-redox-sensitive fluids (see also #47) |
Type Occurrence of Sinhalite
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
The Natural History Museum, London, England, 1952,36–1952,37.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Initially discovered from museum specimensof cut stones previously thought to be olivine, peridot, and chrysoberyl.
Other Language Names for Sinhalite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 4 photos of Sinhalite associated with Serendibite | Ca4[Mg6Al6]O4[Si6B3Al3O36] |
| 4 photos of Sinhalite associated with Phlogopite | KMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| 3 photos of Sinhalite associated with Chondrodite | Mg5(SiO4)2F2 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 6.AC.10 | Pseudosinhalite | Mg2Al3(BO3)2(OH)O3 |
| 6.AC.15 | Béhierite | Ta(BO4) |
| 6.AC.15 | Schiavinatoite | Nb(BO4) |
| 6.AC.20 | Frolovite | Ca[B(OH)4]2 |
| 6.AC.25 | Hexahydroborite | Ca[B(OH)4]2 · 2H2O or CaB2O4 · 6H2O |
| 6.AC.30 | Henmilite | Ca2Cu[B(OH)4]2(OH)4 |
| 6.AC.35 | Bandylite | Cu[B(OH)4]Cl |
| 6.AC.40 | Teepleite | Na2[B(OH)4]Cl |
| 6.AC.45 | Moydite-(Y) | Y[B(OH)4](CO3) |
| 6.AC.50 | Carboborite | Ca2Mg[B(OH)4]2(CO3)2 · 4H2O |
| 6.AC.55 | Sulfoborite | Mg3[B(OH)4]2(SO4)(OH,F)2 |
| 6.AC.60 | Lüneburgite | Mg3[B2(OH)6](PO4)2 · 6H2O |
| 6.AC.65 | Seamanite | Mn2+3[B(OH)4](PO4)(OH)2 |
| 6.AC.70 | Cahnite | Ca2[B(OH)4](AsO4) |
Fluorescence of Sinhalite
Not fluorescent
Other Information
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 Sinhalite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3672.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Sinhalite
Reference List:
Claringbull, G. F.; Hey, Max H. (1952) Sinhalite (MgAlBO4), a new mineral. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 29 (217). 841-849 doi:10.1180/minmag.1952.029.217.01
Claringbull, G. F.; Hey, Max H. (1952) Sinhalite (MgAlBO4), a new mineral. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 29 (217). 841-849 doi:10.1180/minmag.1952.029.217.01
Anonymous (1954) Sinhalite, a New Gem Stone. Rocks & Minerals, 29 (5-6). 251 doi:10.1080/00357529.1954.11767033
Schaller, Waldemar T., Hildebrand, Fred A. (1955) A second occurrence of the mineral sinhalite (2 MgO · Al2O3 · B2O3) American Mineralogist, 40 (5-6) 453-457
Payne, C. J. (1958) A crystal of sinhalite from Mogok, Burma. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 31 (242) 978-979 doi:10.1180/minmag.1958.031.242.10
Fang, J. H., Newnham, R. E. (1965) The crystal structure of sinhalite. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 35 (269) 196-199 doi:10.1180/minmag.1965.035.269.22
Farrell, E. F., Newnham, R. E. (1965) Crystal-field spectra of chrysoberyl, alexandrite, peridot and sinhalite. American Mineralogist, 50 (11-12) 1972-1981
Bowden, P., Von Knorring, O., Bartholemew, R.W. (1969) Sinhalite and serendibite from Tanzania. Mineralogical Magazine, 37 (285) 145-147 doi:10.1180/minmag.1969.037.285.17
Hohler, V.; Funck, E. (1969) Infrarot-Spektrum von Sinhalit und Olivin. Die Naturwissenschaften, 56 (9). 459 doi:10.1007/bf00601064
Hayward, Chris L., Angel, Ross J., Ross, Nancy L. (1994) The structural redetermination and crystal chemistry of sinhalite, MgAlBO4. European Journal of Mineralogy, 6 (3) 313-322 doi:10.1127/ejm/6/3/0313
Hayward, Chris L., Best, Stephen P., Clark, Robin J.H., Ross, Nancy L., Withnall, Rob (1994) Polarised single crystal Raman spectroscopy of sinhalite, MgAlBO4. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular Spectroscopy, 50 (7). 1287-1294 doi:10.1016/0584-8539(94)80094-4
Shannon, Robert D., Shannon, Ruth C., Medenbach, Olaf, Fischer, Reinhard X. (2002) Refractive Index and Dispersion of Fluorides and Oxides. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 31 (4) 931-970 doi:10.1063/1.1497384
Weber, Sven-Ulf, Grodzicki, Michael, Lottermoser, Werner, Redhammer, Günther J., Topa, Dan, Tippelt, Gerold, Amthauer, Georg (2009) 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray single-crystal diffractometry, and electronic structure calculations on natural sinhalites. Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, 36 (5) 259-269 doi:10.1007/s00269-008-0274-y
Santamarı́a-Pérez, D., Errandonea, D., Gomis, O., Sans, J. A., Pereira, A. L. J., Manjón, F. J., Popescu, C., Rodrı́guez-Hernández, P., Muñoz, A. (2015) Crystal Structure of Sinhalite MgAlBO4 under High Pressure. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 119 (12). 6777-6784 doi:10.1021/jp512131e
Steinadler, Jennifer; Witthaut, Kristian; Krach, Georg; Hochleitner, Rupert; Bräuniger, Thomas (2026) Assigning Single-Crystal NMR Data to Crystallographic Sites for Symmetry-Affected Interaction Tensors: A Case Study of Sinhalite, MgAlBO4, by 11B and 27Al NMR Spectroscopy and DFT Calculations. Crystals, 16 (6). doi:10.3390/cryst16060395
Localities for Sinhalite
Showing 26 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- 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).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
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Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Region, Myanmar