Charoite Mineral Data

Charoite Mineral Data

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General Charoite Information

Chemical Formula:

K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)·3(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 1,828.68 gm

Potassium 10.69 % K 12.88 % K₂O

Calcium 17.53 % Ca 24.53 % CaO

Silicon 27.65 % Si 59.14 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 0.39 % H 3.45 % H₂O

Oxygen 43.75 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

K₅Ca₈Si₁₈O₄₆(OH)·3(H₂O)

Environment:

Occurs within a syenite massif, in metasomatic rocks, formed between 200-250 deg. C and enriched with K at the contact of the massif with limestone.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1978

Locality:

Murun massif, Chara River area, Aldan Shield, SW Yakutia (Sakha Republic). Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for the impression that it gives: "chary" in Russian means "charms" or "magic" and not for the Chara River, which is 70 km away from the locality.

Charoite Image

Images:

Charoite

Comments: Polished slab of purple charoite.
Location: Murun Massif, Chara River, Davan, Torgo River Basin, Aldan Shield, Saha (Sakha) Republic (Yakutia), Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia. Scale: Picture size 6.5 cm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

Charoite Fedorite

Comments: Tan crystalline platy fedorite in pale violet charoite.
Location: Murun, Republic of Sakha, Siberia, Russia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Charoite Tinaksite

Comments: Yellow-brown prismatic tinaksite crystals in purple charoite with black aegirine.
Location: Murun, Aldan Uplift, Chara and Olekma Rivers, near Olekminsk, Republic of Sakha, Siberia, Russia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Charoite Tokkoite

Comments: Yellow crystalline tokkoite intermixed with purple charoite (viewed cross-sectional to fiber direction).
Location: Murun, Aldan, Republic of Sakha, Siberia, Russia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Charoite Tinaksite

Comments: Polished slab of deep purple chariote with inclusions of black augite, white feldspar and orange tinaksite.
Location: Murun, Siberia, Russia. Scale: Picture size 10 cm.
© Kevin Ward

Charoite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.6105:1:0.2241

Cell Dimensions:

a = 19.61, b = 32.12, c = 7.2, Z = 4; beta = 93.76° V = 4,525.33 Den(Calc)= 2.68

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: P*/4 ((pseudo Ortho)

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.348(1), 3.134(0.85), 12.45(0.7),

Physical Properties of Charoite

Cleavage:

[???] Good, [???] Good, [???] Good

Color:

Violet, Lilac, Light brown.

Density:

2.54 - 2.58, Average = 2.56

Diaphaniety:

Translucent

Habit:

Massive - Fibrous - Distinctly fibrous fine-grained forms.

Hardness:

5-6 - Between Apatite and Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Weakly Fluorescent, Short UV=pale blue, Long UV=pale blue.

Luster:

Vitreous - Pearly

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Charoite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.023 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.023 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2067,KPDmeas= 0.2164,KC= 0.2115

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.55, b=1.553, g=1.559, bire=0.0090, 2V(Calc)=72, 2V(Meas)=28-30.

Pleochroism (x):

rose.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Charoite

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.68 gm/cc
note: r_Charoite=2.68 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.01337
Boson Index = 0.98663

Photoelectric:

PE_Charoite= 4.27 barns/electron
U=PE_Charoite x r_electron= 11.44 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 154.18 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Estimated Radioactivity from Charoite - barely detectable

Charoite Classification

Dana Class:

70.1.2.3 (70)Inosilicate Column or Tube Structures

(70.1)with columnar silicate units

(70.1.2)Double crankshaft chains

70.1.2.1 Narsarsukite Na2(Ti,Fe)Si4(O,F)11 I 4/m 4/m

70.1.2.2 Caysichite-(Y) Y2(Ca,Gd)2Si4O10(CO3)3(H2O,O,OH)·3H20 Ccm21 mm2

70.1.2.3 Charoite K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)·3(H2O) P*/4 ((pseudo Ortho) 2/m

Strunz Class:

VIII/F.35-50 VIII - Silicates

VIII/F - Inosilicates (chain and band) complex chain structure. Cylindric chains and others

VIII/F.35 - Ashcroftine-(Y) series

VIII/F.35-10 Canasite (Na,K)6Ca5Si12O30(OH,F)4 C 2/m 2/m

VIII/F.35-20 Frankamenite! K3Na3Ca5(Si12O30)[F,(OH)]4·(H2O) P1 1

VIII/F.35-30 Miserite K(Ca,Ce)5[Si8O22](OH,F)2 P1 1

VIII/F.35-40 Yuksporite (Sr,Ba)2K4(Ca,Na)14([],Mn,Fe){(Ti,Nb)4(O,OH)4[Si6O17]2[Si2O7]3}(H2O,OH)n,n~3 P 2₁/m 2/m

VIII/F.35-50 Charoite K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)·3(H2O) P*/4 ((pseudo Ortho) 2/m

VIII/F.35-60 Eveslogite! (Ca,K,Na,Sr,Ba)48[(Ti,Nb,Fe,Mn)12(OH)12Si48O144](F,OH,Cl)14 P 2/m 2/m

Other Charoite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Dana8) OPTIC PROP.(Dana8)

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Charoite Specimen Label here :

Charoite

K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)·3(H2O)
Dana No: 70.1.2.3 Strunz No: VIII/F.35-50
Locality:

Notes: