What do you know about gypsum mineral, the incredible stuff?
Gypsum is a mineral composed of calcium sulfate dehydrate, which is a type of ore consisting of chemical evaporates.
Gypsum is made mainly of this mineral, and may contain small clay minerals amounts, oxides, chlorides, silica, anhydrite, and carbonate.
Gypsum mineral color
Pure crystalized gypsum mineral is a colorless, and even transparent, sulfate. It appears in a wide range of colors due to a number of impurities.
The cleavable gypsum crystals and masses contain white stripes, which can be easily scratched by nails (Hardness II). This fragile mineral has a low density – 2.31-2.32 gr/cc – and is soluble in water, CIH, and ethylic alcohol.
Gypsum crystals have vitreous and silky lusters. Pearls are found in different forms on natural surfaces and produce different varieties of gypsum.
Different kinds of gypsum mineral
- Espejuelo or selenite gypsum is found in form of massive transparent or translucent gridded crystals with vitreous luster that are easily cleaved and spited into fine grains
- Lapis specularis refers to the spectacular mineral masses that appear in a wide range of colors depending on the impurities. They are sometimes granular
- Alabaster gypsum or alabaster refers to the variety of massive sacroid gypsums with light transparent colors
- Lenticular gypsum is a type of selenite gypsum with small crystal size.
- Fiber gypsum (see samples), and needle-shaped gypsum are transparent conic crystals with intense vitreous luster
- Desert rose (see samples), commonly found as twinned arrow-shaped crystals is a type of selenite gypsum win small crystal size
How gypsum mineral is made?
Gypsum mineral is product of sulfate gradual evaporation and chloride enriched waters in shallow environments exposed to hot/humid weather.
Gypsum mineral is deposited after carbonates and before salts.
It is also found in the continental waters in hot and dry areas.
The salts contained in these waters are extracted from dissolution of the old gypsum reserves. or continental environments attacked regularly by the ocean
Gypsum mineral can be also a product of these items. anhydrite hydration caused by volcanic activities, temperature, sulfuric waters fumarole, or sulfuric acid effect on marl calcites and lime clays.
Uses of gypsum mineral
Gypsum mineral is mainly used to produce gypsum powder for rendering walls, plastering, casting, and molding.
It is also used along with clay as a major component of different fertilizers.
In cement industry, gypsum is used as a retarding additive to produce Portland Cement.
Gypsum mineral is also used as ceramic flask, paint filler, and filler in paper and rubber industries.
Alabaster is used as a decorative stone.
Selenite is sometimes cut for collections. Satin spar is polished and cut for jewelries.
Verities of desert rose are used as decorative and collection items.
They are sometimes used for isolation of the windows, or as glass in the conventional windows.
