- #1
jbowers9
- 89
- 1
I'm currently doing a little research in PCM for asbestos ID. My background is in chemistry and I've had to wade through a good deal of mineral classification terminology. My question is this; If cummingtonite and anthophyllite - two of the six recognized species of commercial asbestos fiber - have identical chemical compositions -[Mg,Fe]7[Si8O22](OH)2 - why are they classified as different minerals? Again, I must stress that my background is in chemistry so the nomenclature of minerology is new to me.