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Hornblende |
  
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Hornblende |
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Hornblende is actually the name given to a series of minerals that are rather difficult to distinguish by ordinary means. The iron, magnesium and aluminum ions can freely substitute for each other and form what have been distinguished as seperate minerals.
The minerals are given the names Magnesio-hornblende, Ferrohornblende, Alumino-ferro-hornblende and Alumino-magnesio-hornblende.
These minerals are obviously named for their chemistries although there is little to distinguish them in the field. The iron rich members of the series are a darker black and less likely to be translucent.
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