earth science

Gonnardite

Gonnardite is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gonnardite rather than just read about it. In short: Gonnardite is a comparatively rare, fibrous zeolite, natrolite subgroup. Older papers claim that a complete solid solution exists between tetranatrolite and gonnardite, but tetranatrolite was discredited as a separate species in 1999.

Key takeaways

Gonnardite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gonnardite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gonnardite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gonnardite is a comparatively rare, fibrous zeolite, natrolite subgroup. Older papers claim that a complete solid solution exists between tetranatrolite and gonnardite, but tetranatrolite was discredited as a separate species in 1999. A series, based on the disorder of the silicon-aluminum in the framework, appears to exist between Na-rich gonnardite and natrolite, Na2(Si3Al2)O10·2H2O. Gonnardite was named in 1896 after Ferdinand Pierre Joseph Gonnard (1833–1923), who was Professor of Mining Engineering at the University of Lyon, France.

Crystallography Orthorhombic-bipyramidal class 2/m 2/m 2/m and tetragonal-scalenoidal class 42m (orthorhombic with a very close to b, or tetragonal with a equal to b). Unit Cell Parameters: a = b = 13.21 Å, c = 6.622 Å, Z = 2Space Group: I42d

Crystal habit Crystals are prismatic, bounded by {110} and {111} as well as {100} and {001}, and gonnardite also occurs as radial hemispheres. Commonly found as zoned prisms or aggregates with thomsonite, natrolite and paranatrolite.

Structure Gonnardite is a tectosilicate belonging to the natrolite group. The natrolite minerals are composed of chains of AlO4 and SiO4 tetrahedra that link to form frameworks. As with all zeolites, there are channels within the framework, and for the natrolite minerals the channels are occupied by polyhedra containing sodium, calcium or barium, together with oxygen and water. Gonnardite has the same framework structure as natrolite, but a disordered Si, Al distribution on the tetrahedral sites. Some of the water sites in the disordered natrolite structure of gonnardite are empty.

Environment Gonnardite has been found in silica-poor volcanics and pegmatites. It occurs with thomsonite and natrolite in vesicles in the volcanic rock of The Nut, near Stanley, Tasmania, Australia, intergrown with natrolite at Don Hill, Tasmania and in drill holes with chabazite and calcite near Guildford, Tasmania. It is also found in nepheline-syenite in the Grenville Geological Province, which is part of the Canadian Shield. The type locality (the place where the mineral was first described) is La Chaux de Bergonne, Gignat, Saint-Germain-Lembron, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France, and type material from this locality is held at the Natural History Museum, London, England, registration number BM.1930,166.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gonnardite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gonnardite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gonnardite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gonnardite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gonnardite

In research: Gonnardite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gonnardite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gonnardite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Minerals in space group 122, Natrolite subgroup, Tetragonal minerals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gonnardite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gonnardite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gonnardite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gonnardite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gonnardite in simple terms?

Why does Gonnardite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gonnardite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gonnardite.