Jun 11 2014
Topics Covered
Introduction to Camaraite
Properties of Camaraite
Global Distribution
Occurrence of Camaraite and Useful Mineral Association
References
Introduction to Camaraite
Chemical Formula – Ba3NaTi4(Fe2+,Mn)8(Si2O7)4O4(OH,F)7
Camaraite was named after Fernando Cámara (1967- ) of Melilla, Spain, in recognition of his contributions to the fields of mineralogy and crystallography.
Properties of Camaraite
The following are the key properties of camaraite:
- Cell Data
- Space group: C 1
- a = 10.6965(7)
- b = 13.7861(9)
- c = 21.478(2)
- α = 99.345(1)°
- β = 92.315(2)°
- γ = 89.993(2)°
- Z = 4
- Crystal Data
- Triclinic
- Point group: 1
- Crystals, platy on {001}, to 8 x 15 x 2mm
- As star shaped aggregates
- X-ray powder pattern: 2.63 (100), 2.79 (90), 1.721 (70), 3.39 (50), 3.18 (50), 2.101 (50), 2.87 (40)
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
| SiO2 |
25.25 |
| BaO |
21.11 |
| FeO |
16.54 |
| TiO2 |
15.69 |
| MnO |
9.46 |
| F |
3.11 |
| Fe2O3 |
2.77 |
| H2O(calc) |
1.84 |
| Nb2O5 |
1.57 |
| Na2O |
1.41 |
| -O = F2 |
1.31 |
| K2O |
0.84 |
| CaO |
0.56 |
| ZrO2 |
0.33 |
| MgO |
0.21 |
| Al2O3 |
0.13 |
| ZnO |
0.12 |
| Total |
99.63 |
- Optical Properties
- Optical class: Biaxial (+)
- Pleochroism: Strong; X = light brown; Y = reddish-brown; Z = yellow-brown
- Absorption: Z < X < Y
- Orientation: X ^ a = 90.4°; Y ^ b = 86.9°; Z ^ c = 103.9°
- γ (calc) = 1.866
- 2V(meas.) = 93(1)°
Global Distribution
Camaraite is distributed mainly in Kazakhstan, in the Verkhnee Espe Deposit at Akjailyautas Mountains in eastern Kazakhstan.
Occurrence of Camaraite and Useful Mineral Association
Camaraite occurs in a hydrothermal mineral in the extensively recrystallized contact zone of fenitized granite.
It is often associated with minerals such as bafertisite, the jinshajiangitepyrochlore-group minerals, thorite, fluoroleakeite, monazite, zircon, and xenotime.
References