earth science

Woodhouseite

Woodhouseite 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 Woodhouseite rather than just read about it. In short: Woodhouseite belongs to the beudantite group AB3(XO4)(SO4)(OH)6 where A = Ba, Ca, Pb or Sr, B = Al or Fe and X = S, As or P. Minerals in this group are isostructural with each other and also with minerals in the crandallite and alunite groups.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Woodhouseite belongs to the beudantite group AB3(XO4)(SO4)(OH)6 where A = Ba, Ca, Pb or Sr, B = Al or Fe and X = S, As or P. Minerals in this group are isostructural with each other and also with minerals in the crandallite and alunite groups. They crystallise in the rhombohedral system with space group R3m and crystals are usually either tabular {0001} or pseudo-cubic to pseudo-cuboctahedral. Woodhouseite was named after Professor Charles Douglas Woodhouse (1888–1975), an American mineralogist and mineral collector from the University of California, Santa Barbara, US, and one-time General Manager of Champion Sillimanite, Inc.

Environment Woodhouseite is a secondary mineral found where wall rock alteration occurred in hydrothermal and disseminated ore deposits; rare in cave deposits, formed from guano. At the type locality it occurs in vugs in quartz veins in an andalusite, Al2OSiO4, deposit. This is in pre-Cambrian meta-quartzite that has been intruded by late Jurassic granitic rocks. Woodhouseite is found only near masses of lazulite, MgAl2(PO4)2(OH)2. Associated Minerals at the type locality include topaz, Al2SiO4F2, quartz, SiO2, augelite, Al2PO4(OH)3, lazulite, MgAl2(PO4)2(OH)2, tourmaline, baryte, BaSO4, muscovite, KAl2(Si3Al)O10(OH)2, and pyrophyllite, Al2Si4O10(OH)2, all of which formed before the woodhouseite, which is a late-forming mineral.

Localities The type locality is the Champion Mine (White Mountain Mine), White Mountain, Laws, White Mountains, Mono County, California, US. This is a former sillimanite mine located near Laws; mineralisation is a metamorphic sillimanite deposit hosted in quartzite.

Structure Space Group: R3 2/m Unit Cell Parameters: a = 6.993 Å, c = 16.386 Å, Z: 3

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Woodhouseite

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

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

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Woodhouseite in simple terms?

Why does Woodhouseite 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 Woodhouseite?

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 Woodhouseite.