Samuelsonite
Encyclopedia
Samuelsonite is a complex mineral that is found near North Groton, Grafton County, New Hampshire
, USA. Additionally, it is most commonly found as a secondary mineral in granite
pegmatite
. Samuelsonite is named after Peter B. Samuelson, a prospector
from Rumney, New Hampshire
.
The mineral has a pale yellow color and has a hardness of 5 on Mohs scale
. The crystal is generally yellow, flat, and with straited crystal
s and blue trolleites. Samuelsonite is monolinic. There are three vectors of unequal length in this crystal system. The three vectors form a rectangular prism with a parallelogram at the base. Therefore, two of the vectors are perpendicular, while the third makes an angle that is not equal to 90°. Samuelsonite has biaxial birefringence (trirefringence), meaning when light passes through the optic axis it is split into two rays due to the difference in refractive index of the ray with parallel polarized light compared to the ray with perpendicular polarized light.
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Grafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a...
, USA. Additionally, it is most commonly found as a secondary mineral in granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
pegmatite
Pegmatite
A pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
. Samuelsonite is named after Peter B. Samuelson, a prospector
Prospector
Prospector may mean:*Prospecting, exploring an area for natural resources such as minerals, oil, flora or fauna*Prospector , a unified catalog for Colorado and Wyoming...
from Rumney, New Hampshire
Rumney, New Hampshire
Rumney is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,480 at the 2010 census. The town is located at the southern edge of the White Mountain National Forest.-History:...
.
The mineral has a pale yellow color and has a hardness of 5 on Mohs scale
Mohs scale of mineral hardness
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material. It was created in 1812 by the German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs and is one of several definitions of hardness in...
. The crystal is generally yellow, flat, and with straited crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
s and blue trolleites. Samuelsonite is monolinic. There are three vectors of unequal length in this crystal system. The three vectors form a rectangular prism with a parallelogram at the base. Therefore, two of the vectors are perpendicular, while the third makes an angle that is not equal to 90°. Samuelsonite has biaxial birefringence (trirefringence), meaning when light passes through the optic axis it is split into two rays due to the difference in refractive index of the ray with parallel polarized light compared to the ray with perpendicular polarized light.