Aliettite is a complex phyllosilicate mineral of the smectite group with a formula of ( Ca_0.2 Mg₆( Si, Al)₈ O₂₀( OH)₄·4 H₂O) or . It is a soft, colorless to pale yellow or green earthy mineral which crystallizes in the monoclinic

system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...

as minute tabular to platy crystals. It was first described in 1968 for an occurrence in Monte Chiaro,

Albareto Albareto (Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about west of Bologna and about southwest of Parma. Albareto borders the following municipalities: Borgo Val di Taro, ...

Parma Province The Province of Parma ( it, Provincia di Parma) is a province in the Emilia–Romagna region of Italy. Its largest town and capital is the city of Parma. It is made up of 47 '' comuni''. It has an area of and a total population of around 450,00 ...

, Emilia-Romagna, Italy and named for the Italian mineralogist Andrea Alietti (born 1923). It occurs in

serpentinized Serpentinite is a rock composed predominantly of one or more serpentine group minerals, the name originating from the similarity of the texture of the rock to that of the skin of a snake. Serpentinite has been called ''serpentine'' or ''serp ...

ophiolites and their residual soil. It also occurs in altered

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

. Associated minerals include talc,

chlorite The chlorite ion, or chlorine dioxide anion, is the halite with the chemical formula of . A chlorite (compound) is a compound that contains this group, with chlorine in the oxidation state of +3. Chlorites are also known as salts of chlorous ac ...

serpentine Serpentine may refer to: Shapes * Serpentine shape, a shape resembling a serpent * Serpentine curve, a mathematical curve * Serpentine, a type of riding figure Science and nature * Serpentine subgroup, a group of minerals * Serpentinite, a ...

and

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

. In addition to the type locality in Italy it has been reported from

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

, Katanga; the Chelyabinsk Oblast of the southern Urals and the Turii alkaline Massif of the Kola Peninsula in Russia; the Zirabulak Mountains of Uzbekistan; and the Goldstrike Mine of Eureka County, Nevada, US.

References

Smectite group Hexagonal minerals {{silicate-mineral-stub