Thorianite Mineral Data

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General Thorianite Information

Chemical Formula:

ThO2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 264.04 gm

Thorium 87.88 % Th 100.00 % ThO₂

Oxygen 12.12 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

ThO₂

Environment:

Pegmatites and alluvial deposits.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1904

Locality:

Balangoda, Sabaragamuwa prov., Sri Lanka Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for its chemical composition containing thorium.

Name Pronunciation:

Thorianite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 67413

PDF 42-1462

Thorianite Image

Images:

Thorianite

Comments: Thorianite penetration twin.
Location: Huddersfield, Quebec, Canada. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

Thorianite Crystallography

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.595, Z = 4; V = 175.15 Den(Calc)= 10.01

Crystal System:

Isometric - HexoctahedralH-M Symbol (4/m 3 2/m) Space Group: F m3m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.234(1), 1.689(0.64), 1.98(0.58),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 1 0 0) ( 0 1 0)

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Crystal Structure:

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Wyckoff R W G , Crystal Structures , 1 (1963) p.239-444, Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York, Fluorite structure

Physical Properties of Thorianite

Cleavage:

{100} Imperfect, {010} Imperfect, {001} Imperfect

Color:

Brownish black, Green, Green black, Gray green, Yellow.

Density:

Diaphaneity:

Opaque

Fracture:

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

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Habit:

Pseudo Hexagonal - Crystals show a hexagonal outline.

Hardness:

6 - Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Radioactive.

Luster:

Metallic

Streak:

greenish gray

Optical Properties of Thorianite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.237 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.237 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1274,KPDmeas= 0.1275,KC= 0.167
Ncalc = 2.67

Optical Data:

Isotropic, n=2.2-2.35.

RL Color:

Gray with red-brown internal reflections.

Reflectivity

**Standardized Intensity (100%) Reflection Spectra of Thorianite in Air**
λ	R	∑ R(λ)
400 nm	16.60
420 nm	16.60
440 nm	16.60
460 nm	16.50
480 nm	16.30
500 nm	16.00
520 nm	15.70
540 nm	15.40
560 nm	15.20
580 nm	15.10
600 nm	15.00
620 nm	14.90
640 nm	14.80
660 nm	14.70
680 nm	14.60
700 nm	14.50

**Calculated Relative Intensity Colors of Thorianite in Air**
Relative Intensity	0%	60%	100%	120%	180%	240%	300%	360%	420%	480%	540%	590%
R

Calculated Properties of Thorianite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=8.04 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Thorianite =10.0 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0000590503
Boson Index = 0.9999409497

Photoelectric:

PE_Thorianite=2,302.30 barns/electron
U=PE_Thorianite x r_electron=18504.09 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 1,505,305.42 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Thorianite per GRapi unit = 664.32 (PPB)

Thorianite is Radioactive as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. Greater than 70 Bq / gram.

Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 10 cm box) 20.21 ± 5.05 grams of pure Thorianite .
Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 100 cm box) 2020.6 ±505.16 grams of pure Thorianite .

**Estimated Radioactivity from Thorianite** - very strong
Specimen Size Weight/Volume (Sphere) *	Calculated Activity Bequerols (Bq)	Calculated Activity Curies (Ci)	Estimated Activity GR(api)	Estimated Exposure (mRem**)/hr If Held in Hand For One Hour
1000 gm / 5.76 cm	39,370,659	1.06E-03	1,505,305.42	494.89
100 gm / 2.67 cm	3,937,066	1.06E-04	150,530.54	49.49
10 gm / 1.24 cm	393,707	1.06E-05	15,053.05	4.95
1 gm / 5.76 mm	39,371	1.06E-06	1,505.31	0.49
0.1 gm / 2.67 mm	3,937	1.06E-07	150.53	0.05
0.01 gm / 1.24 mm	394	1.06E-08	15.05	0.00
0.001 gm / 0.58 mm	39	1.06E-09	1.51	0.00

Weight of pure Thorianite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 10.01 gm/cc.*
Goverment Estimate of Average Annual Exposure ( 360 mRem) **
Note: 10 microsieverts/hr = 1 mRem/hr **
Max Permissable Adult Dose 50,000 mRem/yr (hands), 15,000 mRem/yr (eyes)
Lethal Dose LD(50) Exposure 400,000 to 500,000 mRem

Thorianite Classification

Dana Class:

05.01.01.02 (05)Oxides Containing Uranium and Thorium

(05.01)with a cation charge of 4+ (AO2)

(05.01.01)Dana Group

05.01.01.01 Uraninite UO2 F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

05.01.01.02 Thorianite ThO2 F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

04.DL.05 04 - OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodate

04.D - Metal:Oxygen = 1:2 and similar

04.DL -With large (± medium-sized) cations; fluorite-type structures

04.DL.05 Cerianite-(Ce) (Ce,Th)O2 F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.DL.05 Zirkelite (Ca,Th,Ce)Zr(Ti,Nb)2O7 F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.DL.05 Thorianite ThO2 F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.DL.05 Uraninite UO2 F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Other Thorianite Information

References:

NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(AntBidBlaNic3)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Thorianite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
5 - GeoScienceWorld
6 - Google Images
7 - Google Scholar
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
10 - MinDAT
11 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
12 - Online Mineral Museum
13 - QUT Mineral Atlas
14 - Ruff.Info
15 - University of Colorado - Mineral Structure Data
16 - Uranium Minerals
17 - WWW-MINCRYST

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

Thorianite

ThO2
Dana No: 05.01.01.02 Strunz No: 04.DL.05
Locality:

Notes: