What does chabazite mean?
Chabazite is a naturally occurring zeolite mineral, a hydrated aluminosilicate of calcium, sodium, and potassium that typically forms well-defined rhombohedral crystals. It is most often found lining gas cavities in basaltic lava flows, where it occurs alongside other zeolites such as heulandite, stilbite, and analcime; notable specimens come from Iceland, India's Deccan Traps, and the Faroe Islands. Like all zeolites, chabazite has an open, cage-like crystal framework that allows it to absorb water and exchange cations, which makes minerals of this family valuable in industrial applications such as water softening, molecular sieving, and catalysis. The name derives from the ancient Greek word "chabazios", a term once applied to a stone. Although chiefly a specialist term of mineralogy and gem and mineral collecting, chabazite is prized by collectors for its attractive, glassy, frequently pink or colourless crystals.
nounA white to pinkish tectosilicate mineral of the zeolite group, typically occurring in rhombohedral crystals and found in cavities in basaltic volcanic rocks.
- A calcium- and sodium-bearing zeolite mineral, (Ca,Na,K)₂Al₂Si₄O₁₂·6H₂O, crystallising in the trigonal system, commonly found as rhombohedral crystals in amygdules in basalt.
"The geologist identified the glassy rhombohedra lining the basalt vesicles as chabazite."
"Vugs in the Deccan basalts are often lined with sparkling crystals of chabazite and heulandite."
"Because its porous framework selectively adsorbs molecules, chabazite has been studied for use as a molecular sieve and catalyst support."
The plural is used when referring to individual crystals, specimens, or occurrences; as a mass noun denoting the mineral substance, it usually remains uncountable.
"The museum drawer held chabazites from Iceland, Ireland, and the Faroe Islands."
Named after an ancient stone word that appears in a Greek poem over two thousand years old, chabazite is one of the rare minerals whose name predates modern science itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chabazite
The name "chabazite" was coined around the turn of the nineteenth century from the Greek word "chabazios" (χάβασιος), which appears in ancient sources as a name for a kind of stone. The mineral had been described earlier under other names before being recognised as distinct within what later became the zeolite group. An older variant spelling, "chabasite", reflects the same Greek root but has largely fallen out of use in favour of the standardised modern form. Because the underlying Greek term is essentially isolated, the word has no living English cognates.
How chabazite is actually used
Strictly a technical term used in mineralogy, petrology, and collector literature; it would sound out of place in general conversation. The plural is normally "chabazites" when referring to individual specimens or occurrences.
Easily confused with chabazite
"Chabasite" is simply an older alternative spelling of the same mineral now standardised as "chabazite", not a different substance.
Calcite is calcium carbonate that effervesces in acid and shows perfect cleavage, whereas chabazite is an aluminosilicate zeolite that does not react with dilute acid.