Natrolite

Natrolite is a tectosilicate mineral species belonging to the zeolite group. It is a hydrated sodium and aluminium silicate with the formula Na₂Al₂Si₃O₁₀ · 2H₂O. The type locality is Hohentwiel, Hegau, Germany.

It was named natrolite by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1803. The name is derived from νατρών natron, the Greek word for soda, in reference to the sodium content and λίθος lithos, meaning stone. Needle stone or needle-zeolite are other informal names, alluding to the common acicular habit of the crystals, which are often very slender and are aggregated in divergent tufts. The crystals are frequently epitaxial overgrowths of natrolite, mesolite, and gonnardite in various orders.