Sepiolite
Encyclopedia
Sepiolite is a clay mineral, a complex magnesium
silicate
, a typical formula for which is Mg4Si6O15(OH)2·6H2O. It can be present in fibrous, fine-particulate, and solid forms.
It was first described in 1847 for an occurrence in Bettolino, Baldissero Canavese
, Torino Province, Piedmont
, Italy
. The name comes from a perceived resemblance of the material to the porous bones of the cuttlefish
from the Greek, "sepion". Because of its low specific gravity
and its high porosity it may float upon water, hence its German name meerschaum ("sea foam").
Sepiolite occurs as a secondary mineral associated with serpentine. It can occur as a precipitate in arid environments. It may be associated with dolomite
and opal
.
Sepiolite is used in oil drilling
and for cat litter. It is also used in a solid form for carving
, where it is known as Meerschaum
.
Owing to its fibrous mineral nature, sepiolite veins may contain the hazardous material, asbestos
; even where asbestos is not present, sepiolite is often mistaken for it. Careful analytical techniques may be required to distinguish the two.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
silicate
Silicate
A silicate is a compound containing a silicon bearing anion. The great majority of silicates are oxides, but hexafluorosilicate and other anions are also included. This article focuses mainly on the Si-O anions. Silicates comprise the majority of the earth's crust, as well as the other...
, a typical formula for which is Mg4Si6O15(OH)2·6H2O. It can be present in fibrous, fine-particulate, and solid forms.
It was first described in 1847 for an occurrence in Bettolino, Baldissero Canavese
Baldissero Canavese
Baldissero Canavese is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 40 km north of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 510 and an area of 4.4 km²....
, Torino Province, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The name comes from a perceived resemblance of the material to the porous bones of the cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
from the Greek, "sepion". Because of its low specific gravity
Relative density
Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity usually means relative density with respect to water...
and its high porosity it may float upon water, hence its German name meerschaum ("sea foam").
Sepiolite occurs as a secondary mineral associated with serpentine. It can occur as a precipitate in arid environments. It may be associated with dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
and opal
Opal
Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...
.
Sepiolite is used in oil drilling
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
and for cat litter. It is also used in a solid form for carving
Carving
- Arts :*Bone carving*Chip carving*Gourd carving or Gourd art*Ice carving or Ice sculpture*Ivory carving*Stone carving**Petroglyph*Vegetable carving*Wood carving- Others :*Data carving and/or file carving, two closely related data recovery techniques...
, where it is known as Meerschaum
Meerschaum
Meerschaum , also sepiolite, is a soft white mineral sometimes found floating on the Black Sea, and rather suggestive of sea-foam, whence the German origin of the name, as well as the French name for the same substance, écume de mer.-Overview:...
.
Owing to its fibrous mineral nature, sepiolite veins may contain the hazardous material, asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
; even where asbestos is not present, sepiolite is often mistaken for it. Careful analytical techniques may be required to distinguish the two.