Rutherfordine | |
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General | |
Category | Carbonate mineral |
Formula (repeating unit) | U O 2 CO3 |
IMA symbol | Rfd [1] |
Strunz classification | 5.EB.05 |
Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
Crystal class | Pyramidal (mm2) H–M Symbol: (mm2) |
Space group | Imm2 |
Unit cell | a = 4.840 Å, b = 9.273 Å c = 4.298 Å; Z = 2 |
Identification | |
Colour | Brownish, brownish yellow, white, light brown orange, or light yellow |
Crystal habit | Crystals are Lathlike, elongated crystals commonly radiating, fibrous, matted; earthy to very fine-grained masses. |
Cleavage | perfect on {010}, good on {001} |
Lustre | Silky, dull |
Streak | Yellow |
Diaphaneity | Transparent |
Specific gravity | 5.7 |
Optical properties | Biaxial (+) |
Refractive index | nα = 1.700 - 1.723 nβ = 1.716 - 1.730 nγ = 1.755 - 1.795 |
Birefringence | δ = 0.055 - 0.072 |
Pleochroism | Visible X= colorless, Y= pale yellow, Z= pale greenish yellow |
2V angle | Calculated: 53° |
Other characteristics | Radioactive |
References | [2] [3] [4] |
Rutherfordine is a mineral containing almost pure uranyl carbonate (U O 2 CO3). It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system in translucent lathlike, elongated, commonly radiating in fibrous, and in pulverulent, earthy to very fine-grained dense masses. It has a specific gravity of 5.7 and exhibits two directions of cleavage. It appears as brownish, brownish yellow, white, light brown orange, or light yellow fluorescent encrustations. It is also known as diderichite.
It was first described in 1906 for an occurrence in the Morogoro Region of Tanzania. It was named for Ernest Rutherford. It has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Northern Territory of Australia and a variety of locations worldwide. [3]
It occurs as a secondary mineral as a weathering product of uraninite. In addition to uraninite it occurs associated with the rare minerals becquerelite, masuyite, schoepite, kasolite, curite, boltwoodite, vandendriesscheite, billietite, metatorbernite, fourmarierite, studtite and sklodowskite. [2] It forms under acidic to neutral pH and is the only known mineral that contains only uranyl and carbonate.
Anglesite is a lead sulfate mineral with the chemical formula PbSO4. It occurs as an oxidation product of primary lead sulfide ore, galena. Anglesite occurs as prismatic orthorhombic crystals and earthy masses, and is isomorphous with barite and celestine. It contains 74% of lead by mass and therefore has a high specific gravity of 6.3. Anglesite's color is white or gray with pale yellow streaks. It may be dark gray if impure.
Autunite (hydrated calcium uranyl phosphate), with formula Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2·10–12H2O, is a yellow-greenish fluorescent phosphate mineral with a hardness of 2–2+1⁄2. Autunite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and often occurs as tabular square crystals, commonly in small crusts or in fan-like masses. Due to the moderate uranium content of 48.27% it is radioactive and also used as uranium ore. Autunite fluoresces bright green to lime green under UV light. The mineral is also called calco-uranite, but this name is rarely used and effectively outdated.
Zippeite is a hydrous potassium uranium sulfate mineral with formula: K4(UO2)6(SO4)3(OH)10·4(H2O). It forms yellow to reddish brown monoclinic-prismatic crystals with perfect cleavage. The typical form is as encrustations and pulverulent earthy masses. It forms as efflorescent encrustations in underground uranium mines. It has a Mohs hardness of 2 and a specific gravity of 3.66. It is strongly fluorescent yellow under ultraviolet light and is moderately radioactive.
Thorianite is a rare thorium oxide mineral, ThO2. It was originally described by Ananda Coomaraswamy in 1904 as uraninite, but recognized as a new species by Wyndham R. Dunstan. It was so named by Dunstan on account of its high percentage of thorium; it also contains the oxides of uranium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium and neodymium. Helium is present, and the mineral is slightly less radioactive than pitchblende, but is harder to shield due to its high energy gamma rays. It is common in the alluvial gem-gravels of Sri Lanka, where it occurs mostly as water worn, small, heavy, black, cubic crystals. The largest crystals are usually near 1.5 cm. Larger crystals, up to 6 cm (2.4 in), have been reported from Madagascar.
Hanksite is a sulfate mineral, distinguished as one of only a handful that contain both carbonate and sulfate ions (a sulfate carbonate). It has the chemical formula Na22K(SO4)9(CO3)2Cl.
Andersonite, Na2Ca(UO2)(CO3)3·6H2O, or hydrated sodium calcium uranyl carbonate is a rare uranium carbonate mineral that was first described in 1948. Named after Charles Alfred Anderson (1902–1990) of the United States Geological Survey, who first described the mineral species, it is found in sandstone-hosted uranium deposits. It has a high vitreous to pearly luster and is fluorescent. Andersonite specimens will usually glow a bright lemon yellow (or green with blue hints depending on the deposit) in ultraviolet light. It is commonly found as translucent small rhombohedral crystals that have angles close to 90 degrees although its crystal system is nominally trigonal. Its Mohs hardness is 2.5, with an average specific gravity of 2.8.
Schröckingerite is a radioactive yellow uranium-containing carbonate mineral, hydrated sodium calcium uranyl sulfate carbonate fluoride. Schröckingerite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, occurring as globular clusters, and fluoresces yellow-green under ultraviolet light.
Johannite is a rare uranium sulfate mineral. It crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system with the chemical composition Cu[UO2(OH)SO4]2·8H2O. It crystallizes in the triclinic system and develops only small prism or thin to thick tabular crystals, usually occurs as flaky or spheroidal aggregates and efflorescent coatings. Its color is emerald-green to apple-green and its streak is pale green.
Boltwoodite is a hydrated uranyl silicate mineral with formula (K0.56Na0.42)[(UO2)(SiO3OH)]·1.5(H2O), distinct in crystal structure from sodium boltwoodite, which has an orthorhombic structure rather than monoclinic. It is formed from the oxidation and alteration of primary uranium ores. It takes the form of a crust on some sandstones that bear uranium. These crusts tend to be yellowish with a silky or vitreous luster.
Francevillite is a uranyl-group vanadate mineral in the tyuyamunite series. Its chemical formula is (Ba,Pb)(UO2)2V2O8·5(H2O). Francevillite is a strongly radioactive mineral. It is typically orange, yellow or brownish yellow. It forms a series with curienite.
Paulscherrerite, UO2(OH)2, is a newly named mineral of the schoepite subgroup of hexavalent uranium hydrate/hydroxides. It is monoclinic, but no space group has been determined because no single-crystal study has been done. Paulscherrerite occurs as a canary yellow microcrystalline powdery product with a length of ~500 nm. It forms by the weathering and ultimate pseudomorphism of uranium-lead bearing minerals such as metaschoepite. The type locality for paulscherrerite is the Number 2 Workings, Radium Ridge near Mount Painter, North Flinders Ranges, South Australia, an area where radiogenic heat has driven hydrothermal activity for millions of years. It is named for Swiss physicist Paul Scherrer, co-inventor of the Debye-Scherrer X-ray powder diffraction camera. Study of paulscherrerite and related minerals is important for understanding the mobility of uranium around mining sites, as well as designing successful strategies for the storage of nuclear weapons and the containment of nuclear waste.
Weeksite is a naturally occurring uranium silicate mineral with the chemical formula: K2(UO2)2Si6O15•4(H2O), potassium uranyl silicate. Weeksite has a Mohs hardness of 1–2. It was named for USGS mineralogist Alice Mary Dowse Weeks (1909–1988).
Znucalite or CaZn11(UO2)(CO3)3(OH)20·4(H2O) is a rare, radioactive, white to pale cream colored uranium-containing carbonate mineral, hydrated calcium zinc uranyl carbonate hydroxide. Znucalite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, often forming aggregates or crusts, and is found as a rare secondary species in carbonate-hosted (meaning it is mined from carbonate containing formations such as limestone) polymetallic veins, and nearby oxidizing uranium veins; on dump material and coating mine walls, apparently of post-mine origin. It fluoresces yellow-green under UV light.
Bijvoetite-(Y) is a very rare rare-earth and uranium mineral with the formula (Y,REE)8(UO2)16(CO3)16O8(OH)8·39H2O. When compared to the original description, the formula of bijvoetite-(Y) was changed in the course of crystal structure redefinition. Bijvoetite-(Y) is an example of natural salts containing both uranium and yttrium, the other examples being kamotoite-(Y) and sejkoraite-(Y). Bijvoetite-(Y) comes from Shinkolobwe deposit in Republic of Congo, which is famous for rare uranium minerals. The other interesting rare-earth-bearing uranium mineral, associated with bijvoetite-(Y), is lepersonnite-(Gd).
Leószilárdite is a mineral discovered by Travis Olds of the University of Notre Dame and colleagues in the Markey Mine in Utah, USA. They named the mineral in honor of Leó Szilárd, Hungarian-born physicist and inventor. Leószilárdite is the first naturally occurring sodium- and magnesium-containing uranyl carbonate. It is rare and water-soluble, and was discovered on a seam of carbon-rich material deposited by an ancient stream. Groundwater reacted with the uraninite ore to create leószilárdite and other minerals.
Metarauchite is a member of the autunite group, found at the Jáchymov ore district, Czech Republic and in Schneeberg, Germany. The autunite group is a group of structured uranyl phosphates and arsenates; the other members of the group are autunite, bassetite, heinrichite, kahlerite, nováčekite-I, nováčekite-II, rauchite, sabugalite, saléeite, torbernite, uranocircite, uranospinite, and zeunerite. The mineral is named after Czech mineral collector Luděk Rauch, who died in the Jáchymov mines during mineral prospecting.
Meyrowitzite, Ca(UO2)(CO3)2·5H2O, is a carbonate mineral verified in May of 2018 by the Commission of New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association. It is an extremely rare mineral, discovered in the Markey mine Utah, U.S.A. The mineral is a transparent yellow and has blades up to approximately 0.2 mm in length. It is soluble in water or aqueous solutions. Meyrowitzite is named in honor of Robert Meyrowitz (1916–2013), an American analytical chemist. After serving in WW II, he joined the United States Geological Survey (USGS). He was known for developing innovative new methods for analyzing small and difficult to study mineralogical samples along with his formulation of the high-index immersion liquids.
Zellerite is a uranium mineral, named after its discoverer, geologist Howard Davis Zeller. It has a type locality of the Lucky MC uranium mine in Wyoming, USA. It was approved by the IMA in 1965, but was first published a year after its approval.
Kasolite is an uncommon lead uranyl silicate monohydrate mineral. It is an IMA approved mineral, that had been a valid species before the foundation of the association, that had been first described and published in 1921 by Schoep. It is a grandfathered mineral, meaning the name kasolite is still believed to refer to a valid species to this day. The mineral's name originates from its type locality, namely the Shinkolobwe Mine, also known as Kasolo Mine. Kasolite is possibly the lead analogue of the unnamed phase UM1956-02-SiO:CaHU, and it is the only accepted lead-uranium silicate.
Uramphite is a rarely-found phosphate mineral in the "phosphate, arsenate and vanadate" mineral class with chemical composition (NH4)2[UO2PO4]2·6H2O from which it is seen to be a hydrated ammonium uranyl phosphate.