Abstract: Ludwigite from B-bearing iron ores in the Bergslagen area of central Sweden and in the coastal area north of Stockholm has been studied using chemical and single-crystal diffraction techniques. Structure refinements, completed for three crystals showing slightly different Al contents, in the space group Pbam (agreement factor: 2.42 ⩽ R ⩽ 2.79) indicate that: (1) octahedral M1, M2 and M3 bond distances are similar, although the calculated site population suggests that M1 and M2 are nearly completely occupied by Mg whereas M3 also contains Fe2+ and Fe3+; (2) in the M4 octahedron Fe3+ and Al dominate over Mg (and Fe2+); and (3) the distortion parameter, BLD, indicates that M3 is the most regular, whereas M4 is the most distorted octahedron.
Mineralogical Magazine; August 1999 v. 63; no. 4; p. 511-518; DOI: 10.1180/002646199548682
© 1999, The Mineralogical Society
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