Gypsum and Anhydrite Physical Properties
Tenacity
Flexible
Brittle
Solubility
Soluble
Not Available
Durability
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.20-2.40
2.90-2.98
Fracture
Conchoidal, Splintery, Fibrous, UnevenArthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009)
Conchoidal, Brittle, Conchoidal, UnevenArthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009), Brittle, Conchoidal
Cleavage
Perfect on {010}, distinct on {100}
Rare tabular and prismatic crystals. Usually occurs as fibrous, parallel veins that break off into cleavage fragments.
Chemical Composition
CaSO 4 -2(H 2O)Arthur Thomas , Gemstones (2009)
CaSO 4Michael OâDonoghue , Gems, Sixth edition (2006) More from other references
Gypsum and Anhydrite Chemical Formula
While comparing Gypsum and Anhydrite physical properties, the important data you should know is its chemical composition. Since chemical formula defines the molecular structure of the crystal, most of the physical properties like color, tenacity, solubility are governed by Gypsum and Anhydrite chemical formula.
- Chemical formula of Gypsum- CaSO 4 -2(H 2O)Arthur Thomas , Gemstones (2009)
- Chemical formula of Anhydrite- CaSO 4Michael OâDonoghue , Gems, Sixth edition (2006) More from other references
Gypsum and Anhydrite Specific Gravity
Another important criteria for qualitative analysis of gemstones is Gypsum and Anhydrite Specific gravity. Specific gravity is the relative density of a gemstone compared with respect to density of water. Gemologists use Gypsum and Anhydrite Optical Properties during the identification of gemstone. Specific gravity of Gypsum is 2.90-2.98 whereas that of Anhydrite is 2.90-2.98.