What is "bentorite"

n. (context mineral English) A hard transparent violet mineral with vitreous lustre.

Bentorite is a mineral with the chemical formula Ca(Cr,Al)(SO)(OH)·26(HO). It is colored violet to light violet. Its crystals are hexagonal to dihexagonal dipyramidal. It is transparent and has vitreous luster. It has perfect cleavage. It is not radioactive. Bentorite is rated 2 on the Mohs Scale.

The mineral was first described in 1980 by Shulamit Gross for an occurrence in the Hatrurim Formation of Danian age along the western margin of the Dead Sea, Israel. It was named for Yaakov Ben-Tor (1910–2002), Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of California, San Diego, California, US, for his contributions to geology and mineralogy in Israel.