ordenite

Ordenite is a natural zeolite mineral belonging to the aluminosilicate group. Like other zeolites, it has a three-dimensional framework of corner-sharing SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedra, creating a porous structure with channels and cages that accommodate water molecules and exchangeable cations such as sodium, calcium, and occasionally others. The framework carries negative charge balanced by these cations, which can be exchanged with ions in surrounding waters.

Ordenite forms at low temperatures during diagenesis or hydrothermal alteration of volcanic ash and volcanic rocks. It is commonly found in vesicles and fractures of rhyolitic and other silica-rich rocks, often in association with other zeolites like clinoptilolite, mordenite, analcime, and natrolite. Crystals are typically white to pale-colored and may appear as prismatic or fibrous aggregates; the mineral usually has a vitreous luster and a relatively soft hardness around 4 on the Mohs scale.

In use, Ordenite itself plays a minor role commercially, but natural zeolites as a group are valued for ion-exchange and adsorption properties. They can exchange alkali and alkaline earth cations, trap water and small molecules, and have been studied for applications in water purification, soil amendment, and catalysis. Natural Ordenite is primarily of interest to mineralogists and researchers studying zeolite genesis and diagenetic processes.