Sep 3 2013
Dansite was first found in a paleogene salt deposit in central China. It has an isometric crystal system. It was named after Professor Jean D’Ans, German mineralogist from the Technical University, Berlin, Germany.
Properties of Dansite
The following are the key properties of Dansite:
- Cell Data
- Space Group: I43m
- a = 15.95
- Z = 4.
- Crystal Data
- Cubic
- Point Group: 43m.
- As tetrahedral {211} crystals, modified by {211} and {110}
- Twinning: Polysynthetic twinning observed.
- X-ray powder pattern: 3.396 (100), 2.815 (100), 3.123 (60), 2.584 (40), 4.257 (30), 3.982 (30), 2.518 (25).
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
| SO4 |
60.24 |
61.03 |
| Na |
30.68 |
30.67 |
| Cl |
7.47 |
6.76 |
| Mg |
1.54 |
1.54 |
| HCO3 |
0.12 |
|
| Ca |
0.06 |
|
| Total |
100.11 |
100.00 |
- Optical Properties
- Optical Class: Isotropic
- n = 1.488–1.489.
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density) = 2.55 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of Dansite = 2.59 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEDansite = 2.19 barns/electron
U = PEDansite x ρElectron density = 5.59 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.003
Boson index = 0.99 |
|
Radioactivity
|
Dansite is not radioactive. |
How to Identify Dansite
Dansite is colorless with a white streak. The average density of dansite is 2.64 g/cm3 and its relative hardness is 3.
Global Distribution
Dansite is distributed in the following places:
- “Q” Basin [Jianghan Plain] potash deposits, Hubei Province, China.
- Zechstein Basin, Germany.
Occurrence of Dansite and Useful Mineral Association
Dansite commonly occurs in marine evaporite deposits. It is closely associated with thenardite and vanthoffite.
References