earth science

Sarcolite

Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite rather than just read about it. In short: Sarcolite is a mineral named due to its color. Its name originates from the Greek word sárx (σάρξ), meaning flesh and from the Greek word for stone, líthos (λίθος), for being a mineral.

Key takeaways

Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sarcolite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sarcolite is a mineral named due to its color. Its name originates from the Greek word sárx (σάρξ), meaning flesh and from the Greek word for stone, líthos (λίθος), for being a mineral. It was first described in 1959, but had been a valid species since 1807. It is grandfathered, meaning the name sarcolite still refers to a valid species till this day. Researchers were able to create lab-grown sarcolites with the same crystal structure and formula, although the lab grown ones show different, uniaxial (-) optical properties.

Properties Sarcolite grows equant pseudocubic fine hemihedral crystals up to 2.5 cm in irregular masses that are well-formed. It mainly consists of oxygen (40.72%), calcium (25.50%) and silicon (17.87%), but otherwise contains aluminum (11.45%), sodium (2.44%) and fluorine (2.01%). It does not show radioactive properties whatsoever. It is soluble in hydrogen fluoride and in hydrogen chloride. It used to be considered to be a flesh-colored analcime variety due to the distinct pseudocubic habit it has. In 1824 however, thanks to Brooke it turned out that the mineral is tetragonal and dipyramidal. After morphological and crystallographic studies, it became clear that sarcolite is a different species. The classification was a struggle as well. It was considered a feldspathoid at first, then it got placed to the melilite group. In the end, it was placed in the scapolite group due to the chemical resemblance of the marialite-meionite series.

Environment and usage Sarcolite can appear in contact metamorphosed limestone-bearing volcanic ejecta. That is the reason why it is the type locality of the volcanic rocks of Monte Somma. There are American providers of this mineral, these are in Connecticut and Nevada. The most common impurities include sulfur, titanium, magnesium, manganese, iron, potassium, phosphorus, chlorine and strontium. It is associated with garnet, augite and gehlenite in Monte Somma, and with augite, fluorite and haüyne in Anguillara Sabazia. The faceted stones are up to 2 carats, but can also weigh less than a carat. Due to its tenacity, sarcolite is not commonly worn as a jewelry stone.

Controversies There are controversial studies surrounding this mineral. Many reference works claim Thomson to be the discoverer of sarcolite, but there are two controversial statements regarding the subject. First one being, that the name Thomson is usually misspelled, and written as Thompson. Allegedly, Thomson is the correct way of spelling, as there's evidence to it from his books that he had signed, and from his will. The second being is that Thomson died in 1806, and no paper by him was found in 1807, and no one quoted the actual publication. Sarcolite was originally described by Vauquelin, who used the name Tompson, whereas Haüy refers to "M. Thomson", allegedly correctly. It was established that Vauquelin's material mentioned on the paper wasn't sarcolite however, but in fact gmelinite, which also grows in lavas. Dana spells it correctly, however in the fifth edition it is spelled Thompson, due to Faujas-Saint-Fond's letter to Naples mentioning Thomson's death. Vauquelin's spelling doesn't seem to be repeated however.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sarcolite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite

In research: Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite 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: Sarcolite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Minerals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sarcolite in simple terms?

Sarcolite is a mineral named due to its color. Its name originates from the Greek word sárx (σάρξ), meaning flesh and from the Greek word for stone, líthos (λίθος), for being a mineral.

Why does Sarcolite 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 Sarcolite?

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 Sarcolite.