websterite

English

Etymology

Webster +‎ -ite, after geologist Thomas Webster (1772–1844).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛbstəɹaɪt/

Noun

websterite (countable and uncountable, plural websterites)

1. A hydrous aluminium sulfate mineral with formula Al₂SO₄(OH)₄·7(H₂O).
   • 1828 August, Alexandre Brongniart, edited by Richard Taylor and Richard Phillips, The Philosophical Magazine, volume IV, London: Richard Taylor, page 81:

     On Websterite found in the Plastic Clay of Auteuil, near Paris [article title]

   • 1873, Charles Horner, “On the Spectra of Some Cobalt Compounds in Blowpipe Chemistry”, in Chemical News and Journal of Industrial Science, page 242:

     Fig. 6 is the interesting spectrum of the bright blue compound of alumina. These three bands, although generally faint, are narrow and well defined, the blue and green spaces being invariably clear. Websterite and cryolite show this spectrum to great advantage.

   • 1896 February, “Eruptive Rocks from Montana”, in The American Naturalist, volume XXX, number III, page 128:

     Among some specimens of eruptive rocks obtained from Gallatin, Jefferson and Madison Counties, Montana, Merrill finds basalts, andesites, lamprophyres, syenites, porphyrites, wehrlites, harzburgites and websterites, some of which possess peculiar characteristics.

Synonyms

• alley stone
• aluminite

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2024) “Websterite”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “websterite”, in Mindat.org‎^[1], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2024.