The structure of wadeite

Abstract

Wadeite has been found only in a suite of leucite-lamproites from the West Kimberley area of Western Australia. The leucite-bearing rocks occur at a number of isolated volcanic vents that have in every instance broken through sedimentary deposits of Permian age. The nature of the mineral, wadeite, has been described by Prider. It is a potassium-zirconium silicate occurring as highly birefringent prisms up to 1 mm. in length with hexagonal-shaped basal sections. It is invariably replaced in part along the poor pyramidal cleavages by calcite.