Palagonite
A mixture of two or more distinct mineral species
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About Palagonite
A Mixture Of:
Palagonite is a term used loosely for variable alteration products of volcanic glass, typically a result of the interaction between water and basalt melt, but also applied to powdery yellow-brown weathering products of basaltic glass.
It is a heterogeneous material, usually with highly variable optical and structural properties, ranging from a clear, transparent, isotropic, smooth and commonly concentrically banded material, commonly called "gel-palagonite", to a translucent, anisotropic, slightly to strongly birefringent material of fibrous, lath-like or granular structure, commonly called "fibro-palagonite" (Stroncik & Schmincke, 2002). Usually yellow-orange to brown.
Sometimes used as a term for a rock composed mostly of such material (see palagonite tuff)
Palagonite's mineralogical nature is still poorly defined. Hay and Iijima (1968) proposed that palagonite is composed of montmorillonite and mixed‐layer mica/montmorillonite. According to Furnes (1984), palagonite consists of kaolinite, illite, mixed‐layer clay minerals, and zeolites. Honnorez (1981) suggested that palagonite is a mixture of altered, hydrated, and oxidized glass with authigenic minerals (clays, zeolites) and proposed to abandon the term completely. Palagonite was also interpreted to be composed of a smectite with minor amounts of zeolites and oxides, using a combination of detailed analytical methods with stoichiometric considerations (Daux et al., 1994; Eggleton and Keller, 1982; Staudigel and Hart, 1983; Zhou et al., 1992).
Stroncik and Schmincke (2002) propose that the term should be restricted to the isotropic, gel-like material, with the "fibro-palagonite" being mostly smectite and other minerals.
Some dark brown specimens are also very similar in composition and structure to hisingerite.
It is a heterogeneous material, usually with highly variable optical and structural properties, ranging from a clear, transparent, isotropic, smooth and commonly concentrically banded material, commonly called "gel-palagonite", to a translucent, anisotropic, slightly to strongly birefringent material of fibrous, lath-like or granular structure, commonly called "fibro-palagonite" (Stroncik & Schmincke, 2002). Usually yellow-orange to brown.
Sometimes used as a term for a rock composed mostly of such material (see palagonite tuff)
Palagonite's mineralogical nature is still poorly defined. Hay and Iijima (1968) proposed that palagonite is composed of montmorillonite and mixed‐layer mica/montmorillonite. According to Furnes (1984), palagonite consists of kaolinite, illite, mixed‐layer clay minerals, and zeolites. Honnorez (1981) suggested that palagonite is a mixture of altered, hydrated, and oxidized glass with authigenic minerals (clays, zeolites) and proposed to abandon the term completely. Palagonite was also interpreted to be composed of a smectite with minor amounts of zeolites and oxides, using a combination of detailed analytical methods with stoichiometric considerations (Daux et al., 1994; Eggleton and Keller, 1982; Staudigel and Hart, 1983; Zhou et al., 1992).
Stroncik and Schmincke (2002) propose that the term should be restricted to the isotropic, gel-like material, with the "fibro-palagonite" being mostly smectite and other minerals.
Some dark brown specimens are also very similar in composition and structure to hisingerite.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
51702
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:51702:9
Similar Names
| Paragonite | A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered | NaAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 18 photos of Palagonite associated with Calcite | CaCO3 |
| 10 photos of Palagonite associated with 'Tachylite' | |
| 9 photos of Palagonite associated with 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series' | |
| 8 photos of Palagonite associated with Phillipsite Subgroup | (Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O |
| 6 photos of Palagonite associated with Spinel | MgAl2O4 |
| 5 photos of Palagonite associated with Erionite-Ca | (Ca,K2,Na2)2[Al4Si14O36] · 15H2O |
| 4 photos of Palagonite associated with Olivine Group | M2SiO4 |
| 3 photos of Palagonite associated with 'Manganese Oxides' | |
| 3 photos of Palagonite associated with 'Chromium-bearing Diopside' | Ca(Mg,Cr)Si2O6 |
| 3 photos of Palagonite associated with 'Basalt' |
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 Palagonite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-51702.html
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References for Palagonite
Reference List:
Localities for Palagonite
Showing 47 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.
Antarctica | |
| Nardini et al. (2009) |
| Berkley J. L. 1982. Mars weathering ... |
| Woolley (2019) | |
| Montenegro (2013) | |
| Nelson (1966) | |
Atlantic Ocean | |
| Geldmacher et al. (2008) | |
Australia | |
| Abell et al. (1991) | |
| Sutherland et al. (1967) |
| Lambeth (1952) | |
Canada | |
| Htoon (1979) |
Chile | |
| Gioncada et al. (2010) |
Cook Islands | |
| Wood et al. (1970) +4 other references | |
Dominican Republic | |
| Broda et al. (2022) |
France | |
| Chubb et al. (1927) +8 other references |
Iceland | |
| Yagi (1964) |
| JAKOBSSON et al. (1986) +1 other reference |
India | |
| Ottens et al. (2022) |
| Sarkar et al. (2013) |
Indian Ocean | |
| The Shipboard Scientific Party (1974) |
Indonesia | |
| Suhendra et al. (2024) |
Italy | |
| Sicurella et al. (2010) |
Mongolia | |
| Peretyazhko et al. (2017) |
Nazca Plate | |
| Zawadzki et al. (2022) | |
New Zealand | |
| Rod Martin Collection |
| Rod Martin Collection Plag. common ... |
| Martin et al. (2023) |
| T. Saunderson collection |
| Cas RAF (1987) |
| Richard Alexander Mellis +1 other reference |
| 461-466 +2 other references |
| Rod Martin Collection inferred from ... | |
Niue | |
Pacific Ocean | |
| Sun et al. (2026) |
| Peretyazhko et al. (2024) |
| Clague et al. (1990) | |
Russia | |
| Sklyarov et al. (2016) |
| Sklyarov et al. (2016) | |
Solomon Islands | |
| Petterson (2004) |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | |
| Baker (1978) | |
| Baker (1978) | |
| Baker (1978) | |
| Baker (1978) | |
Spain | |
| Utzmann et al. (2002) |
USA | |
| Wise (1982) |
| Locality description |
| Garcia et al. (1986) +2 other references |
| Hamilton et al. (1963) |
Hukatere Volcano, Hukatere Peninsula, Kaipara District, Northland Region, New Zealand