Tusionite

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Tusionite
Tusionite.jpg
Tusionite, a rare gem found in Tajikistan
General
Category Borate minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)
Mn Sn(B O 3)2
IMA symbol Tsn [1]
Strunz classification 6.AA.15
Crystal system Trigonal
Crystal class Rhombohedral (3)
H-M symbol: (3)
Space group R3 (no. 148)
Identification
Formula mass 291.26 gm
ColorColorless, light yellow to yellow brown
Crystal habit Thin platy crystals in rosettes
Cleavage [001] Perfect
Mohs scale hardness5–6
Luster Vitreous
Streak white
Diaphaneity Translucent
Density 4.73
Optical propertiesUniaxial (−)
Refractive index nω = 1.854 nε = 1.752
Birefringence δ = 0.102
Pleochroism Orange yellow
References [2] [3] [4] [5]

Tusionite is a rare colorless to transparent to translucent yellow brown trigonal borate mineral with chemical formula: MnSn(BO3)2. The mineral is composed of 18.86% manganese, 40.76% tin, 7.42% boron, and 32.96% oxygen. It is a late stage hydrothermal mineral and occurs rarely in granite pegmatites in miarolitic cavities.

Tusionite was named for the location where the mineral was first discovered and described in 1983 in the Tusion River Valley in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. Tusionite has also been reported from Recice in the Czech Republic and in pegmatites at Thomas Mountain, Riverside County, California.

See also

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9
(Mg,Fe3+
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)
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OH)(OH)
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. The cerium and lanthanum content varies with the Ce rich species and the La rich species. Analysis of a sample from the Mountain Pass carbonatite gave 35.05% Ce
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O
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and 30.04% La
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O
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References

  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi: 10.1180/mgm.2021.43 . S2CID   235729616.
  2. Mineralienatlas
  3. http://www.webmineral.com/data/Tusionite.shtml Webmineral data
  4. http://www.mindat.org/min-4062.html Mindat w/ location data
  5. http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/tusionite.pdf Mineral Handbook