Ferrotantalite Mineral Data

Ferrotantalite Mineral Data +

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General Ferrotantalite Information

Chemical Formula:

Fe++Ta2O6

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 513.74 gm

Tantalum 70.44 % Ta 86.01 % Ta₂O₅

Iron 10.87 % Fe 13.98 % FeO

Oxygen 18.69 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Fe²⁺Ta₂O₆

Environment:

Accessory mineral in granite pegmatites.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1989

Locality:

Upper Bear Gulch, Lawrence Co, South Dakota, USA Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for the FERROus iron and from the Greek, Tantalos = father of Niobe.

Synonym:

Coltan

Columbite-Tantalite

Tantalite

Ferrotantalite Image

Images:

Ferrotantalite

Comments: Rounded black crystal of ferrotantalite.
Location: Mount Surprise, Queensland, Australia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Ferrotantalite

Comments: Blocky, crystalline aggregate of ferrotantalite crystals weighing over one kilogram.
Location: Ecuador, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Scale: 10 x 6 x 5 cm.
© Rob Lavinsky

Ferrotantalite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.4023:1:0.3567

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.73, b = 14.24, c = 5.08, Z = 4; V = 414.50 Den(Calc)= 8.23

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - DipyramidalH-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: Pcan

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.96(1), 3.66(0.5), 1.721(0.2),

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Physical Properties of Ferrotantalite

Cleavage:

[010] Distinct

Color:

Brownish black, Black.

Density:

8.2

Diaphaniety:

Opaque

Fracture:

Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Hardness:

6-6.5 - Orthoclase-Pyrite

Luster:

Sub Metallic

Streak:

black brown

Optical Properties of Ferrotantalite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.052 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.048 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1636,KPDmeas= 0.1642,KC= 0.1562

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=2.26, b=2.3-2.4, g=2.43, bire=0.1700

Calculated Properties of Ferrotantalite

Electron Density:

r_electron=7.05 gm/cc
note: r_{Ferrotantalite}=8.23 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.00247
Boson Index = 0.99753

Photoelectric:

PE_{Ferrotantalite}= 850.67 barns/electron
U=PE_{Ferrotantalite} x r_electron=5,996.10 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Ferrotantalite is Not Radioactive

Ferrotantalite Classification

Dana Class:

8.3.2.1 (8)Multiple Oxides with Nb, Ta, and Ti

(8.3)where A (B2O6)

(8.3.2)Dana Group

8.3.2.1 Ferrotantalite FeTa2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

8.3.2.2 Ferrocolumbite FeNb2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

8.3.2.3 Manganotantalite MnTa2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

8.3.2.4 Manganocolumbite (Mn,Fe)(Nb,Ta)2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

8.3.2.5 Magnesiocolumbite (Mg,Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

8.3.2.6 Magnesiotantalite! (Mg,Fe)(Ta,Nb)2O6 P bcn 2/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

IV/D.18-50 IV - Oxides

IV/D - Oxides with metal : oxygen = 1:2 (MO2 and related compounds)

IV/D.18 - Columbite series

IV/D.18-10 Magnesiocolumbite (Mg,Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.18-20 Manganocolumbite (Mn,Fe)(Nb,Ta)2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.18-30 Ferrocolumbite FeNb2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.18-35 Magnesiotantalite! (Mg,Fe)(Ta,Nb)2O6 P bcn 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.18-40 Manganotantalite MnTa2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.18-50 Ferrotantalite FeTa2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

Other Ferrotantalite Information

References:

PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Ferrotantalite :
1 -Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database 2 -Athena 3 - Crocoite.com Mineral Locations 4 - EUROmin Project 5 -Google Images 6 -Google Scholar 7 -Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA) 8 -MinDAT 9 -MinMax(Deutsch) 10 -MinMax(English) 11 -Mineralienatlas (Deutsch) 12 -QUT Mineral Atlas 13 -École des Mines de Paris

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Ferrotantalite

Fe++Ta2O6
Dana No: 8.3.2.1 Strunz No: IV/D.18-50
Locality:

Notes: