Walentaite Mineral Data

Walentaite Mineral Data +

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General Walentaite Information

Chemical Formula:

(Ca,Mn++,Fe++)Fe+++3(AsO4)(PO4)3(PO3OH)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 733.47 gm

Calcium 3.28 % Ca 4.59 % CaO

Manganese 2.25 % Mn 2.90 % MnO

Iron 23.60 % Fe 0.98 % FeO / 32.66 % Fe₂O₃

Arsenic 10.21 % As 15.67 % As₂O₅

Phosphorus 16.89 % P 38.71 % P₂O₅

Hydrogen 0.14 % H 1.23 % H₂O

Oxygen 43.63 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 96.73 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca_0.6Mn²⁺_0.3Fe²⁺_0.1Fe³⁺₃(AsO₄)(PO₄)₃(PO₃)(OH)

Environment:

Secondary phosphate mineral.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1984

Locality:

White Elephant mine, Pringle, Custer County, South Dakota, USA. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Kurt Walenta (1927-), mineralogist, University of Stuttgart, Germany, who has studied many phosphate minerals.

Walentaite Image

Images:

Walentaite

Comments: Greenish yellow, flattened, radial, crystalline aggregates of walentaite on quartz.
Location: White Elephant mine, Custer County, South Dakota, USA. Scale: Picture size 1.5 cm.
© Tom Loomis / Dakota Matrix

Walentaite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =2.5451:1:0.7158

Cell Dimensions:

a = 26.24, b = 10.31, c = 7.38, Z = 5; V = 1,996.54 Den(Calc)= 3.05

Crystal System:

OrthorhombicSpace Group: I mmm, I bam, I bca, I mma

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 12.9(1), 3(0.5), 4.43(0.3),

Physical Properties of Walentaite

Cleavage:

[010] Perfect

Color:

Greenish yellow, Yellow green, Bright yellow.

Density:

2.72

Diaphaniety:

Translucent

Habit:

Rosette - Bundled tabular aggregates resembling rose flower petals.

Hardness:

3 - Calcite

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

yellow

Optical Properties of Walentaite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.276 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.138 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2487,KPDmeas= 0.2789,KC= 0.2186

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), b=1.738, g=1.779,

Pleochroism (x):

pale yellow green.

Pleochroism (y):

pale yellow green.

Pleochroism (z):

medium yellow green.

Calculated Properties of Walentaite

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.94 gm/cc
note: r_Walentaite=3.05 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.00525
Boson Index = 0.99475

Photoelectric:

PE_Walentaite= 15.79 barns/electron
U=PE_Walentaite x r_electron= 46.51 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Walentaite is Not Radioactive

Walentaite Classification

Dana Class:

40.5.10.1 (40)Hydrated Phosphates, etc

(40.5)with miscellaneous formulae

(40.5.10)Dana Group

40.5.10.1 Walentaite (Ca,Mn,Fe)Fe3(AsO4)(PO4)3(PO3OH) I mmm, I bam, I bca, I mma Ortho

Strunz Class:

VII/C.18-30 VII - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates

VII/C - Water-bearing phosphates without unfamiliar anions, cations of medium and big size: Fe, Mn, Zn, Mg and Ca, (NH4)1+

VII/C.18 - Wicksite - Alentaite series

VII/C.18-10 Wicksite NaCa2(Fe,Mn)4MgFe(PO4)6·2(H2O) P bca 2/m 2/m 2/m

VII/C.18-15 Bederite! ([],Na)Ca2(Mn,Mg,Fe)2(Fe,Mg,Al)2Mn2(PO4)6·2(H2O) Pcab 2/m 2/m 2/m

VII/C.18-20 Grischunite NaCa2Mn5Fe(AsO4)6·2(H2O) Pcab 2/m 2/m 2/m

VII/C.18-30 Walentaite (Ca,Mn,Fe)Fe3(AsO4)(PO4)3(PO3OH) I mmm, I bam, I bca, I mma Ortho

VII/C.18-35 Mereiterite! K2Fe(SO4)2·4(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

Other Walentaite Information

References:

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

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

Walentaite

(Ca,Mn++,Fe++)Fe+++3(AsO4)(PO4)3(PO3OH)
Dana No: 40.5.10.1 Strunz No: VII/C.18-30
Locality:

Notes: