dijelite

Dijelite is a fictional mineral commonly employed in textbooks, simulations, and classroom exercises to illustrate principles of mineralogy, crystallography, and geochemistry. It is not a real mineral species, but a constructed example used to demonstrate generic mineral properties.

In most depictions, dijelite is described as a hydrated aluminum silicate with trace amounts of magnesium and iron. It is said to crystallize in the monoclinic system, with a framework of interconnected silicon-oxygen tetrahedra and aluminum-oxygen coordination. The exact chemical composition is intentionally variable to accommodate different teaching scenarios.

Reported physical properties include a vitreous to resinous luster, a color range from pale blue to green, and a white to pale streak. The Mohs hardness is typically placed around 5 to 6, with a density near 3.2 g/cm3 in illustrative datasets. Cleavage and fracture are described to resemble common silicate minerals to aid identification practice.

Dijelite is described as occurring in fictional metamorphic or hydrothermal environments. It is commonly produced synthetically in teaching laboratories from simple reagents to demonstrate crystallization, zoning, and phase relations.

The primary value of dijelite lies in didactic use: it provides a concrete example for teaching mineral naming, classification, and interpretation of index minerals in metamorphic rocks. It is also used in computer simulations to model crystallization sequences and optical properties.

Note: This entry describes a fictional mineral created for educational purposes and does not refer to a real-world mineral species. See also mineralogy, silicate minerals, crystallography.