Zircon Mineral Data

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General Zircon Information

Chemical Formula:

ZrSiO4

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 190.31 gm

La,Ce,Pr,Nd,Sm, 3.78 % RE 4.41 % REE₂O₃

Hafnium 4.69 % Hf 5.53 % HfO₂

Zirconium 43.14 % Zr 58.27 % ZrO₂

Silicon 14.76 % Si 31.57 % SiO₂

Oxygen 33.63 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 99.79 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Zr_0.9Hf_0.05REE_0.05SiO₄

Environment:

Magmatic, metamorphic, pegmatitic, and alluvial rocks. Zicons are commonly slightly radioactive due to trace amounts of uranium and make prime, geochron age indicators.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) Prehistoric

Locality:

Laacher See, Niedermendig, Germany. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named from its containing the element, zirconium; which was named from the Persian, zar "gold" and gun = "like" which translates "like gold".

Name Pronunciation:

Zircon

Synonym:

Cyrtolite - High U and metamict

Hyacinth - orange red

ICSD 71943

Jarcon - colorless

Kochelite - mixture of fergusonite-(Y) and zircon

Malacon

PDF 6-266

Zircon Image

Images:

Zircon

Comments: Clear, crystalline zircon prism with pyramidal termination.
Location: Laacher See, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

Images:

Zircon Perrierite-(Ce) Pyrochlore Loparite-(Ce)

Comments: Reddish black perrierite crystal, with orange-brown pyrochlore crystal, yellow-brown zircon, and grayish-black loparite.
Location: Buer, Bjorkedalen, Langesundfjord, Telemark, Norway. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Zircon

Comments: Deep red-wine colored, lustrous, internally bright zircon crystals in matrix.
Location: Thorfjord, Seiland, Alta, Norway. Scale: 13 x 10.5 x 9 cm.
© Rob Lavinsky

Images:

Zircon

Comments: Cathodoluminescence image of earth's oldest-known mineral (zircon grain - W74/2-36) with inset concordia plot showing the 4,404 billion year old region. Note the oscillatory zoning in the outer rim. Image by John W. Valley.
Location: Interlayered red quartzites and metaconglomerates, Jack Hills, Western Australia. Scale: See Image.
© University of Wisconsin

Zircon Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:0.90536

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.604, c = 5.979, Z = 4; V = 260.76 Den(Calc)= 4.85

Crystal System:

Tetragonal - Ditetragonal DipyramidalH-M Symbol (4/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: I 4₁/amd

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.3(1), 2.518(0.45), 4.43(0.45),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 3 3 1) ( 1 1 0) ( 1 1 1)

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Crystal Structure:

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Robinson K , Gibbs G V , Ribbe P H , American Mineralogist , 56 (1971) p.782-790, The structure of zircon: A comparison with garnet

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Zircon
[1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Physical Properties of Zircon

Cleavage:

{110} Indistinct

Color:

Brown, Reddish brown, Colorless, Gray, Green.

Density:

4.6 - 4.7, Average = 4.65

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent to opaque

Fracture:

Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern.

Habit:

Crystalline - Fine - Occurs as well-formed fine sized crystals.

Habit:

Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).

Habit:

Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction.

Hardness:

7.5 - Garnet

Luminescence:

Fluorescent, Short UV=yellow,green orange, Long UV=yellow, green orange.

Luster:

Adamantine

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Zircon

Dichroism (e):

colorless.

Dichroism (w):

colorless.

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.034 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.008 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1991,KPDmeas= 0.2076,KC= 0.2007
Ncalc = 1.92 - 1.97

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.92-1.96, w=1.967-2.015, bire=0.0470-0.0550.

Calculated Properties of Zircon

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=4.52 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Zircon =4.85 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.07
Boson Index = 0.93

Photoelectric:

PE_Zircon= 132.43 barns/electron
U=PE_Zircon x r_electron= 598.38 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 3,773.15 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Zircon per GRapi unit = 265.03 (PPM)

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

**Estimated Radioactivity from Zircon** - mild
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 / 7.33 cm	85,050	2.30E-06	3,773.15	1.24
100 gm / 3.40 cm	8,505	2.30E-07	377.31	0.12
10 gm / 1.58 cm	851	2.30E-08	37.73	0.01
1 gm / 7.33 mm	85	2.30E-09	3.77	0.00
0.1 gm / 3.40 mm	9	2.30E-10	0.38	0.00
0.01 gm / 1.58 mm	1	2.30E-11	0.04	0.00
0.001 gm / 0.73 mm	0	2.30E-12	0.00	0.00

Weight of pure Zircon in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 4.85 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
Estimated Thorium Activity ( 0.19 % Th) From Sum REE Elements ( 3.78 % REE)

Zircon Classification

Dana Class:

51.05.02.01 (51)Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups Only

(51.05)with cations in >[6] coordination

(51.05.02)Zircon group

51.05.02.01 Zircon ZrSiO4 I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

51.05.02.02 Hafnon HfSiO4 I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

51.05.02.03 Thorite ThSiO4 I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

51.05.02.04 Coffinite U(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

51.05.02.05 Thorogummite Th(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

51.05.02.06 IMA2008-035! CeSiO4 I 4₁/amd 4mm

Strunz Class:

09.AD.30 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.A - Nesosilicates

09.AD -Nesosilicates without additional anions;

09.AD.30 Coffinite U(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

09.AD.30 Hafnon HfSiO4 I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

09.AD.30 Thorite ThSiO4 I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

09.AD.30 Thorogummite Th(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

09.AD.30 Zircon ZrSiO4 I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

09.AD.30 IMA2008-035! CeSiO4 I 4₁/amd 4mm

Other Zircon Information

References:

NAME( Emsley91) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990;Dana8) OPTIC PROP.(Heinrich65)

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

Zircon

ZrSiO4
Dana No: 51.05.02.01 Strunz No: 09.AD.30
Locality:

Notes: