What is Lithiophilite?
Lithiophilite is a lithium manganese phosphate of granitic pegmatites, valued for warm pink-brown colour and its place in the triphylite series.
Mineralogy and crystal structure
Reference formula: LiMnPO4. Lithiophilite is an orthorhombic olivine-type phosphate and forms a solid-solution series with triphylite through lithium-sodium and manganese-iron substitution. Oxidation can produce colourful alteration rims and secondary phosphates. Lithiophilite is classified with phosphates and has a orthorhombic crystal system. Typical hardness is 4–5 on the Mohs scale and specific gravity is approximately 3.4–3.6.
Colour, lustre and habit
Typical colours include pink, orange, brown, red-brown. The usual prismatic, granular, massive habit and vitreous, pearly lustre help describe a specimen, but colour alone is not diagnostic.
Formation and notable localities
Lithiophilite forms in or is associated with lithium-rich granitic pegmatites and phosphate-rich late-stage pockets. Important documented localities include Sweden, the United States, Brazil, Madagascar, Canada and Portugal.
Warm colour from a lithium pegmatite
Lithiophilite is a rewarding bridge between gem-like colour and systematic mineralogy. Its pink, orange and brown tones can be subtle, but the pegmatite setting and relationship to triphylite make a documented specimen unusually informative.
Collecting and care
Protect from abrasion and prolonged weathering; keep the matrix and alteration zones intact because they carry important chemical information.
