Achalaite

Last updated
Achalaite
General
Category Mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
(Fe2+,Mn)(Ti,Fe3+,Ta)(Nb,Ta)2O8
IMA symbol Ahl [1]
Strunz classification 4.D0.
Crystal system Monoclinic
Unit cell a = 9.422(4) [Å], b = 11.427(3) [Å]
c = 5.120(1) [Å]; β = 90.12°; Z = 4 [2]
Identification
ColorBlack
Crystal habit fibrous
Mohs scale hardness5.5
Luster metallic
Streak black
Specific gravity 6.285
Density 6.285 g/cm3
Pleochroism Non-pleochroic
References [2]

Achalaite ((Fe2+, Mn)(Ti, Fe3+, Ta)(Nb, Ta)2 O8) is a black mineral of the wodginite group, first discovered in 2013. [3]

It crystallizes in the monoclinic system and has a dark, metallic luster, a specific gravity of 6.285 and a Mohs hardness of 5.5. [4]

Achalaite occurs in the intermediate zone of topaz- and tantalite-bearing pegmatite. [4] Associated minerals include rutile, quartz and albite. [2]

Its name comes from the type locality: the Achala batholith in Córdoba, Argentina and the mineral has been approved by the IMA with the acronym 2013-103. [2]

Related Research Articles

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Euxenite, or euxenite-(Y), is a brownish black mineral with a metallic luster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hibonite</span>

Hibonite is a mineral with the chemical formula (Ca,Ce)(Al,Ti,Mg)12O19, occurring in various colours, with a hardness of 7.5–8.0 and a hexagonal crystal structure. It is rare, but is found in high-grade metamorphic rocks on Madagascar. Some presolar grains in primitive meteorites consist of hibonite. Hibonite also is a common mineral in the Ca-Al-rich inclusions found in some chondritic meteorites. Hibonite is closely related to hibonite-Fe ) an alteration mineral from the Allende meteorite. Hibonites were among the first minerals to form as the disk of gas and dust swirling around the young sun cooled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samarskite-(Y)</span>

Samarskite is a radioactive rare earth mineral series which includes samarskite-(Y), with the chemical formula (YFe3+Fe2+U,Th,Ca)2(Nb,Ta)2O8 and samarskite-(Yb), with the chemical formula (YbFe3+)2(Nb,Ta)2O8. The formula for samarskite-(Y) is also given as (Y,Fe3+,U)(Nb,Ta)O4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tantalite</span> Tantalum ore

The mineral group tantalite [(Fe, Mn)Ta2O6] is the primary source of the chemical element tantalum, a corrosion (heat and acid) resistant metal. It is chemically similar to columbite, and the two are often grouped together as a semi-singular mineral called coltan or "columbite-tantalite" in many mineral guides. However, tantalite has a much greater specific gravity than columbite (8.0+ compared to columbite's 5.2). Iron-rich tantalite is the mineral tantalite-(Fe) or ferrotantalite and manganese-rich is tantalite-(Mn) or manganotantalite.

Aeschynite-(Ce) is a rare earth mineral of cerium, calcium, iron, thorium, titanium, niobium, oxygen, and hydrogen with chemical formula (Ce,Ca,Fe,Th)(Ti,Nb)2(O,OH)6. Its name comes from the Greek word αισχύνη ("aeschyne") for "shame" because early chemists had difficulty with separations of titanium from zirconium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeschynite-(Y)</span> Rare earth mineral

Aeschynite-(Y) is a rare earth mineral of yttrium, calcium, iron, thorium, titanium, niobium, oxygen, and hydrogen with the chemical formula (Y,Ca,Fe,Th)(Ti,Nb)2(O,OH)6. Its name comes from the Greek word for "shame". Its Mohs scale rating is 5 to 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycrase</span>

Polycrase or polycrase-(Y) is a black or brown metallic complex uranium yttrium oxide mineral with the chemical formula (Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Ti,Nb,Ta)2O6. It is amorphous. It has a Mohs hardness of 5 to 6 and a specific gravity of 5. It is radioactive due to its uranium content. It occurs in granitic pegmatites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwickite</span>

Warwickite is an iron magnesium titanium borate mineral with the chemical formula (MgFe)3Ti(O, BO3)2orMg(Ti,Fe3+, Al)(BO3)O. It occurs as brown to black prismatic orthorhombic crystals which are vitreous and transparent. It has a Mohs hardness of 3 to 4 and a specific gravity of 3.36.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chondrodite</span>

Chondrodite is a nesosilicate mineral with formula (Mg,Fe)
5
(SiO
4
)
2
(F,OH,O)
2
. Although it is a fairly rare mineral, it is the most frequently encountered member of the humite group of minerals. It is formed in hydrothermal deposits from locally metamorphosed dolomite. It is also found associated with skarn and serpentinite. It was discovered in 1817 at Pargas in Finland, and named from the Greek for "granule", which is a common habit for this mineral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabweite</span>

Zimbabweite is a mineral; formula (Na,K)2PbAs4(Nb,Ta,Ti)4O18. It is generally classed as an arsenite but is notable for also containing niobium and tantalum. A yellow brown mineral with orthorhombic crystal habit and a hardness of 5. It was discovered in 1986 in kaolinized pegmatite, i.e. weathered to clay, in Zimbabwe.

Zircophyllite is a complex mineral, formula (K,Na)3(Mn,Fe)2+7(Zr,Ti,Nb)2Si8O24(OH,F)7. It crystallizes in the triclinic - pinacoidal crystal class as dark brown to black micaceous plates. It has perfect 001 cleavage, a Mohs hardness of 4 to 4.5 and a specific gravity of 3.34. Its indices of refraction are nα=1.708 nβ=1.738 nγ=1.747 and it has a 2V optical angle of 62°.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baotite</span>

Baotite Ba4Ti4(Ti, Nb, Fe)4(Si4O12)O16Cl is a rare mineral recognized as having a unique four-fold silicate ring. Crystals are tetragonal, though commonly deformed to the extent of appearing monoclinic. Named for the locality of first discovery, Baotou, China, baotite has been found in hydrothermal veins and alkalic rocks in various locations around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neptunite</span>

Neptunite is a silicate mineral with the formula KNa2Li(Fe2+, Mn2+)2Ti2Si8O24. With increasing manganese it forms a series with mangan-neptunite. Watatsumiite is the variety with vanadium replacing the titanium in the formula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betafite</span> Mineral group

Betafite is a mineral group in the pyrochlore supergroup, with the chemical formula (Ca,U)2(Ti,Nb,Ta)2O6(OH). Betafite typically occurs as a primary mineral in granite pegmatites, rarely in carbonatites. Originally defined by the B-site atom Ti, the development of new nomenclature for mineral names led to modernization of the system for nomenclature of pyrochlore and betafite in order to further rationalize the naming process of this grouping of minerals. Only two of the mineral species that were formerly recognized as betafite are presently retained. They are oxyuranobetafite and oxycalciobetafite. The term betafite is now a synonym or varietal group name under the pyrochlore super group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapiolite</span>

Tapiolite [(Fe, Mn)(Nb, Ta)2O6] is a black mineral series that is an ore of niobium and tantalum. The tapiolite group includes tapiolite-(Fe) or ferrotapiolite and tapiolite-(Mn) or manganotapiolite. Tapiolite-(Fe) is by far the more common of the two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tienshanite</span>

Tienshanite, named for the Tian Shan Range in Mongolia, is a rare borosilicate mineral, though rock-forming in some parts of its original locality at the Dara-i-Pioz Glacier in Tajikistan. Its formula is extremely complex: KNa3(Na,K,[])6(Ca,Y,RE)2Ba6(Mn2+,Fe2+,Zn,Ti)6(Ti,Nb)6Si36B12O114[O5.5(OH,F)3.5]F2.

Alluaivite is a rare mineral of the eudialyte group, with complex formula written as Na19(Ca,Mn)6(Ti,Nb)3Si26O74Cl·2H2O. It is unique among the eudialyte group as the only titanosilicate (other representatives of the group are usually zirconosilicates). The two dual-nature minerals of the group, being both titano- and zirconosilicates, are labyrinthite and dualite. They both contain alluaivite module in their structures. Alluaivite is named after Mt. Alluaiv in Lovozero Tundry massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia, where it is found in ultra-agpaitic, hyperalkaline pegmatites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ixiolite</span>

Ixiolite is an accessory oxide mineral found in granitic pegmatites. It is an oxide with the general chemical formula (Ta,Nb,Sn,Mn,Fe)4O8 or (Ta,Mn,Nb)O2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schiavinatoite</span>

Schiavinatoite is a very rare mineral, a natural niobium borate with the chemical formula (Nb,Ta)BO4. Schiavinatoite is classified as monoborate. It contains tetrahedral borate anion instead of planar BO3 group, which is more common among minerals. Schiavinatoite is one of the most simple niobium minerals. It forms a solid solution with its tantalum-analogue, béhierite. Both minerals possess zircon-type structure (tetragonal, space group I41/amd) and occur in pegmatites. Schiavinatoite and nioboholtite are minerals with essential niobium and boron.

Vigezzite is a variant of the mineral aeschynite containing calcium, cerium, niobium, tantalum, and titanium. It was first discovered near Orcesco, Valle Vigezzo, Provo Novara, Northern Italy, in cavities of an albitic rock. The crystals of Vigezzite are flat prismatic crystals up to 2-3 mm length of an orange-yellow color.The name Vigezzite was chosen to draw attention to the locality that has produced the first occurrence of a Ca-Nb-Ta-mineral with Nb dominance over Ta, crystallizing with the aeschynite structure. The ideal chemical formula for vigezzite is (Ca,Ce),(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6

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. 1 2 3 4 "Achalaite". Mindat.org. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  3. "The New IMA List of Minerals – A Work in Progress – Updated: July 2016" (PDF). International Mineralogical Association COMMISSION ON NEW MINERALS, NOMENCLATURE AND CLASSIFICATION. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Achalaite Fe2+TiNb2O8" (PDF). Handbook of Mineralogy. Retrieved 8 March 2019.