May 20 2014
Cesstibtantite was named after the elements CESium, antimony (STIBium), and TANTalum that appear in the composition. It belongs to the pyrochlore group.
Properties of Cesstibtantite
The following are the key properties of cesstibtantite:
- Cell Data
- Space group: Fd3m
- a = 10.496–10.515
- Z = 8
- Crystal Data
- Cubic
- Point group: 4/m 3 2/m
- As cubo-octahedral crystals; granular, to 3mm
- X-ray powder pattern: 3.04 (10), 1.860 (10), 1.587 (10), 1.012 (10), 3.17 (9), 1.370 (9), 1.017 (9)
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
Content 3 |
| Ta2O5 |
72.0 |
70.8 |
72.5 |
| Sb2O3 |
13.6 |
14.2 |
9.7 |
| Cs2O |
7.3 |
7.4 |
5.4 |
| PbO |
1.6 |
0.8 |
5.3 |
| Nb2O5 |
2.3 |
2.8 |
1.2 |
| Na2O |
1.3 |
1.7 |
2.4 |
| H2O |
- |
[1.5] |
[1.2] |
| Bi2O3 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
0.6 |
| CaO |
0.1 |
- |
0.6 |
| SnO |
- |
- |
0.1 |
| K2O |
- |
0.0 |
0.05 |
| Total |
98.9 |
[99.5] |
[99.0] |
- Optical Properties
- Optical class: Isotropic
- n = > 1.8
- R: (480) 13.8, (551) 13.6, (589) 13.6, (656) 13.0
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density) = 5.32 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of cesstibtantite = 6.25 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEcesstibtantite = 793.94 barns/electron
U=PEcesstibtantite x ρ electron density = 4,226.01 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.0001561061
Boson index = 0.9998438939 |
Radioactivity
|
Cesstibtantite is not radioactive
|
How to Identify Cesstibtantite
Cesstibtantite can be identified in the field by its color variations, such as yellow-orange, gray, and black. It is sometimes colorless. Its transparent to opaque form has no cleavage. This mineral has a vitreous - adamantine luster, with white streak. The fracture on this mineral is brittle and uneven.
The density of cesstibtantite is 6.4 - 6.6 g/cm3, with a hardness of 6.5 – approximate to pyrite. It is Fluorescent and cathodoluminescent.
Global Distribution
Cesstibtantite is distributed in the following places:
- Russia - From the Leshaia pegmatite, Vuoriyarvi carbonatite complex, Kola Peninsula
- Czech Republic - At the Dobra Voda pegmatite, Velke Mezirici
- Canada - In the Tanco pegmatite, Bernic Lake, Manitoba
- Australia - From near Mt. Holland, Western Australia
Occurrence of Cesstibtantite and Useful Mineral Association
Cesstibtantite occurs as a rare accessory in some highly fractionated granite pegmatites.
It is often associated with minerals such as simpsonite, stibiotantalite, microlite, wodginite, tantalite, pollucite, sosedkoite, antimonian microlite, kimrobinsonite, and manganotantalite.
References