R060653 - RRUFF Database: Raman, X-ray, Infrared, and Chemistry

Opal R060653

Name: Opal
RRUFF ID: R060653
Ideal Chemistry: SiO₂·nH₂O
Locality: Brazil
Source: Gemological Institute of America 4021A [view label]
Owner: RRUFF
Description: Colorless to blue tinted glassy amorphous fragment, variety opal-A
Status: The identification of this mineral has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction and chemical analysis

Mineral Group: [ Amorphous (18) ]

Quick search: [ All Opal samples (11) ]

CHEMISTRY

RRUFF ID:	R060653.2
Sample Description:	Microprobe Fragment
Measured Chemistry:	(Si_0.99Al_0.01)(O_1.99(OH)_0.01)· 0.17H₂O
Microprobe Data File:	[ Download Excel File ]

RAMAN SPECTRUM

RRUFF ID:

Sample Description:

Unoriented sample

DOWNLOADS:

To download sample data,
please select a specific
orientation angle.

BROAD SCAN WITH SPECTRAL ARTIFACTS

RRUFF ID:

R060653

Wavelength:

Sample Description:

Unoriented sample

Instrument settings:

Thermo Almega XR 532nm @ 100% of 150mW

DOWNLOADS:

	Raman Data (RAW)
	RRUFF File

INFRARED SPECTRUM (Attenuated Total Reflectance)

RRUFF ID:

R060653.1

Instrument settings:

SensIR Durascope on a Nicolet Magna 860 FTIR

Resolution:

DOWNLOADS:

	Infrared Data (Processed)
	RRUFF File

POWDER DIFFRACTION

RRUFF ID:

R060653.1

Sample Description:

Powder

File Type Information

Output file from the Bruker D8 Advance instrument. Includes device headers and XY data.

DOWNLOADS:

	X-ray Data (XY - RAW)
	RRUFF File

REFERENCES for Opal
Wallerius J G (1747) in Mineralogia, eller Mineralriket Stockholm [view file]
Hoffmann C A S (1789) Mineralsystem des Herrn Inspektor Werners mit dessen Erlaubnis herausgegeben von C A S Hoffmann, Bergmannisches Journal, 1, 369-398 [view file]
Sato M (1962) Tridymite crystals in opaline silica from Kusatsu, Gumma Prefecture, Mineralogical Journal, 3, 296-305 [view file]
Sun M S (1962) Tridymite (low form) in some opal of New Mexico, American Mineralogist, 47, 1453-1455 [view file]
Sanders J V (1975) Microstructure and crystallinity of gem opals, American Mineralogist, 60, 749-757 [view file]
Petruk W, Farrell D M, Laufer E E, Tremblay R J, Manning P G (1977) Nontronite and ferruginous opal from the Peace River iron deposit in Alberta, Canada, The Canadian Mineralogist, 15, 14-21 [view file]
de Jong B H W S, van Hoek J, Veeman W S, Manson D V (1987) X-ray diffraction and ²⁹Si magic-angle-spinning NMR of opals: incoherent long- and short-range order in opal-CT, American Mineralogist, 72, 1195-1203 [view file]
Drees L R, Wilding L P, Smeck N E, Senkayi A L (1989) Silica in soils: quartz and disordered silica polymorphs, in Minerals in Soil Environments Editor S B Weed. Soil Science Society of America Madison Wisconsin, USA 913-974
Elzea J M, Odom I E, Miles W J (1994) Distinguishing well ordered opal-CT and opal-C from high temperature cristobalite by x-ray diffraction, Analytica Chimica Acta, 286, 107-116 [view file]
Elzea J M, Odom I E, Miles W J (1994) Distinguishing well ordered opal-CT and opal-C from high temperature cristobalite by X-ray diffraction, Analytica Chimica Acta, 286, 107-116
Guthrie G D, Bish D L, Reynolds R C (1995) Modeling the X-ray diffraction pattern of opal-CT, American Mineralogist, 80, 869-872 [view file]
Elzea J M, Rice S B (1996) TEM and X-ray diffraction evidence for cristobalite and tridymite stacking sequences in opal, Clays and Clay Minerals, 44, 492-500
Nagase T, Akizuki M (1997) Texture and structure of opal-CT and opal-C in volcanic rocks, The Canadian Mineralogist, 35, 947-958 [view file]
Ostrooumov M, Fritsch E, Lasnier B, Lefrant S (1999) Spectres Raman des opales : aspect diagnostique et aide à la classification, European Journal of Mineralogy, 11, 899-908
Monger H C, Kelly E F (2002) Silica minerals, in Soil Mineralogy with Environmental Applications Soil Science Society of America Madison Wisconsin, USA 611-636
Rodgers K A, Hampton W A (2003) Laser Raman identification of silica phases comprising microtextural components of sinters, Mineralogical Magazine, 67, 1-13 [view file]
Smith B Y, Turner S J, Rodgers K A (2003) Opal-A and associated microbes from Wairakei, New Zealand: the first 300 days, Mineralogical Magazine, 67, 563-579 [view file]
Ilieva A, Mihailova B, Tsintsov Z, Petrov O (2007) Structural state of microcrystalline opals: a Raman spectroscopic study, American Mineralogist, 92, 1325-1333 [view file]
Pewkliang B, Pring A, Brugger J (2008) The formation of precious opal: Clues from the opalization of bone, The Canadian Mineralogist, 46, 139-149 [view file]
Othmane G, Allard T, Menguy N, Morin G, Esteve I, Fayek M, Calas G (2013) Evidence for nanocrystals of vorlanite, a rare uranate mineral, in the Nopal I low-temperature uranium deposit (Sierra Peña Blanca, Mexico), American Mineralogist, 98, 518-521
Rey P F (2013) Opalisation of the Great Artesian Basin (central Australia): an Australian story with a Martian twist, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 60, 291-314
Liesegang M, Milke R (2014) Australian sedimentary opal-A and its associated minerals: Implications for natural silica sphere formation, American Mineralogist, 99, 1488
Eckert J, Gourdon O, Jacob D E, Meral C, Monteiro P J M, Vogel S C, Wirth R, Wenk H R (2015) Ordering of water in opals with different microstructures, European Journal of Mineralogy, 27, 203-213
Fritsch E, Megaw P K M, Spano T L, Chauviré B, Rondeau B, Gray M, Hainschwang T, Renfro N (2015) Green-luminescing hyalite opal from Zacatecas, Mexico, The Journal of Gemmology, 34, 490-508
Chauviré B, Rondeau B, Mangold N (2017) Near infrared signature of opal and chalcedony as a proxy for their structure and formation conditions, European Journal of Mineralogy, 29, 409-421
Martin E, Gaillou E (2018) Insight on gem opal formation in volcanic ash deposits from a supereruption: A case study through oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compostion of opals from Lake Tecopa, California, U.S.A., American Mineralogist, 103, 803-811
Yuan P, Liu D, Zhou J, Tian Q, Song Y, Wei H, Wang S, Zhou J, Deng L, Du P (2019) Identification of the occurrence of minor elements in the structure of diatomaceous opal using FIB and TEM-EDS, American Mineralogist, 104, 1323-1335
Ayalew D, Pik R, Gibson S, Yirgu G, Ali S, Assefa D (2020) Pedogenic origin of Mezezo opal hosted in Ethiopian Miocene rhyolites, The Canadian Mineralogist, 58, 231-246
Natkaniec-Nowak L, Dumańska-Słowik M, Gaweł A, Łatkiewicz A, Kowalczyk-Szpyt J, Wolska A, Milovská S, Luptáková J, Ładoń K (2020) Fire agate from the Deer Creek deposit (Arizona, USA) – new insights into structure and mineralogy, Mineralogical Magazine, 84, 343-354 [view file]
Lee S, Xu H, Xu H (2022) Reexamination of the structure of opal-A: A combined study of synchrotron X-ray diffraction and pair distribution function analysis, American Mineralogist, 107, 1353-1360

REFERENCES for Opal

Wallerius J G (1747) in Mineralogia, eller Mineralriket Stockholm [view file]

Hoffmann C A S (1789) Mineralsystem des Herrn Inspektor Werners mit dessen Erlaubnis herausgegeben von C A S Hoffmann, Bergmannisches Journal, 1, 369-398 [view file]

Sato M (1962) Tridymite crystals in opaline silica from Kusatsu, Gumma Prefecture, Mineralogical Journal, 3, 296-305 [view file]

Sun M S (1962) Tridymite (low form) in some opal of New Mexico, American Mineralogist, 47, 1453-1455 [view file]

Sanders J V (1975) Microstructure and crystallinity of gem opals, American Mineralogist, 60, 749-757 [view file]

Petruk W, Farrell D M, Laufer E E, Tremblay R J, Manning P G (1977) Nontronite and ferruginous opal from the Peace River iron deposit in Alberta, Canada, The Canadian Mineralogist, 15, 14-21 [view file]

de Jong B H W S, van Hoek J, Veeman W S, Manson D V (1987) X-ray diffraction and ²⁹Si magic-angle-spinning NMR of opals: incoherent long- and short-range order in opal-CT, American Mineralogist, 72, 1195-1203 [view file]

Drees L R, Wilding L P, Smeck N E, Senkayi A L (1989) Silica in soils: quartz and disordered silica polymorphs, in Minerals in Soil Environments Editor S B Weed. Soil Science Society of America Madison Wisconsin, USA 913-974

Elzea J M, Odom I E, Miles W J (1994) Distinguishing well ordered opal-CT and opal-C from high temperature cristobalite by x-ray diffraction, Analytica Chimica Acta, 286, 107-116 [view file]

Elzea J M, Odom I E, Miles W J (1994) Distinguishing well ordered opal-CT and opal-C from high temperature cristobalite by X-ray diffraction, Analytica Chimica Acta, 286, 107-116

Guthrie G D, Bish D L, Reynolds R C (1995) Modeling the X-ray diffraction pattern of opal-CT, American Mineralogist, 80, 869-872 [view file]

Elzea J M, Rice S B (1996) TEM and X-ray diffraction evidence for cristobalite and tridymite stacking sequences in opal, Clays and Clay Minerals, 44, 492-500

Nagase T, Akizuki M (1997) Texture and structure of opal-CT and opal-C in volcanic rocks, The Canadian Mineralogist, 35, 947-958 [view file]

Ostrooumov M, Fritsch E, Lasnier B, Lefrant S (1999) Spectres Raman des opales : aspect diagnostique et aide à la classification, European Journal of Mineralogy, 11, 899-908

Monger H C, Kelly E F (2002) Silica minerals, in Soil Mineralogy with Environmental Applications Soil Science Society of America Madison Wisconsin, USA 611-636

Rodgers K A, Hampton W A (2003) Laser Raman identification of silica phases comprising microtextural components of sinters, Mineralogical Magazine, 67, 1-13 [view file]

Smith B Y, Turner S J, Rodgers K A (2003) Opal-A and associated microbes from Wairakei, New Zealand: the first 300 days, Mineralogical Magazine, 67, 563-579 [view file]

Ilieva A, Mihailova B, Tsintsov Z, Petrov O (2007) Structural state of microcrystalline opals: a Raman spectroscopic study, American Mineralogist, 92, 1325-1333 [view file]

Pewkliang B, Pring A, Brugger J (2008) The formation of precious opal: Clues from the opalization of bone, The Canadian Mineralogist, 46, 139-149 [view file]

Othmane G, Allard T, Menguy N, Morin G, Esteve I, Fayek M, Calas G (2013) Evidence for nanocrystals of vorlanite, a rare uranate mineral, in the Nopal I low-temperature uranium deposit (Sierra Peña Blanca, Mexico), American Mineralogist, 98, 518-521

Rey P F (2013) Opalisation of the Great Artesian Basin (central Australia): an Australian story with a Martian twist, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 60, 291-314

Liesegang M, Milke R (2014) Australian sedimentary opal-A and its associated minerals: Implications for natural silica sphere formation, American Mineralogist, 99, 1488

Eckert J, Gourdon O, Jacob D E, Meral C, Monteiro P J M, Vogel S C, Wirth R, Wenk H R (2015) Ordering of water in opals with different microstructures, European Journal of Mineralogy, 27, 203-213

Fritsch E, Megaw P K M, Spano T L, Chauviré B, Rondeau B, Gray M, Hainschwang T, Renfro N (2015) Green-luminescing hyalite opal from Zacatecas, Mexico, The Journal of Gemmology, 34, 490-508

Chauviré B, Rondeau B, Mangold N (2017) Near infrared signature of opal and chalcedony as a proxy for their structure and formation conditions, European Journal of Mineralogy, 29, 409-421

Martin E, Gaillou E (2018) Insight on gem opal formation in volcanic ash deposits from a supereruption: A case study through oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compostion of opals from Lake Tecopa, California, U.S.A., American Mineralogist, 103, 803-811

Yuan P, Liu D, Zhou J, Tian Q, Song Y, Wei H, Wang S, Zhou J, Deng L, Du P (2019) Identification of the occurrence of minor elements in the structure of diatomaceous opal using FIB and TEM-EDS, American Mineralogist, 104, 1323-1335

Ayalew D, Pik R, Gibson S, Yirgu G, Ali S, Assefa D (2020) Pedogenic origin of Mezezo opal hosted in Ethiopian Miocene rhyolites, The Canadian Mineralogist, 58, 231-246

Natkaniec-Nowak L, Dumańska-Słowik M, Gaweł A, Łatkiewicz A, Kowalczyk-Szpyt J, Wolska A, Milovská S, Luptáková J, Ładoń K (2020) Fire agate from the Deer Creek deposit (Arizona, USA) – new insights into structure and mineralogy, Mineralogical Magazine, 84, 343-354 [view file]

Lee S, Xu H, Xu H (2022) Reexamination of the structure of opal-A: A combined study of synchrotron X-ray diffraction and pair distribution function analysis, American Mineralogist, 107, 1353-1360