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Kurchatovite

 

Kurchatovite

 

Discovered in 1965; IMA status: Valid (IMA Approved 1966)

 

Chemistry

 

 

Chemical Formula:

Ca(Mg,Mn2+,Fe2+)B2O5

 

Calcium Magnesium Manganese Iron Borate

Molecular Weight:

178.34 gm

Composition:

Calcium

22.47 %

Ca

31.44 %

CaO

 

Magnesium

8.18 %

Mg

13.56 %

MgO

 

Manganese

9.24 %

Mn

11.93 %

MnO

 

Iron

3.13 %

Fe

4.03 %

FeO

 

Boron

12.12 %

B

39.04 %

B2O3

 

Oxygen

44.86 %

O

 

 

 

 

100.00 %

 

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

 

 

Classification

   

   

Mineral Classification:

Borates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

5/H.01-30

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

6.BA.10

 

6 : BORATES
B : Diborates
A : Neso-diborates with double triangles B
2(O,OH)5; 2(2D); 2(2D) + OH, etc.

Related to:

Dimorph of Clinokurchatovite.

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

ICSD 200803, IMA1965-034, PDF 43-689

 

 

Crystal Data

   

   

Crystallography:

Orthorhombic - Disphenoidal

Crystal Habit:

Granular, to 4 mm.

Twinning:

None

 

 

Physical Properties

   

 

Cleavage:

One perfect, parallel elongation; two others, imperfect.

Fracture:

n/a

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

4.5

Density:

3.20 (g/cm3)

Luminescence:

Fluorescent; bright violet under long wave UV light

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

 

 

Optical Properties

   

   

Color:

Pale gray

Transparency:

Semitransparent to transparent

Luster:

Vitreous

Refractive Index:

1.635 - 1.698  Biaxial ( - )

Birefringence:

0.063

Dispersion:

None

Pleochroism:

Slight; r > v

 

 

Occurances

   

   

Geological Setting:

In an iron-bearing skarn (Solongo deposit, Russia).

Common Associations:

Clinokurchatovite, Szaibélyite, Solongoite, Hexahydroborite, Calcite, Chlorite, Vesuvianite, Garnet, Svabite, Magnetite, Sphalerite (Solongo deposit, Russia).

Common Impurities:

None

Type Locality:

Solongo B deposit, Vitim Plateau, Buriatia Republic (Buryatia), Transbaikalia (Zabaykalye), Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia

Year Discovered:

1965

View mineral photos:

Kurchatovite Mineral Photos and Locations

 

 

Unusual Gem Categories

   

   

 

Fluorescent Gems

 

 

More Information

   

   

 

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

 

 

Kurchatovite is a very rare borate mineral that was discovered in 1965 at the Solongo B deposit, Vitim Plateau, Buriatia Republic, Transbaikalia, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia. This is the only location for Kurchatovite. It is typically found in a matrix of white Dolomite as light gray granular crystals to about 4 mm with vitreous luster and Mohs hardness of about 4.5. Kurchatovite is a fluorescent mineral showing bright violet under long wave UV light.

Kurchatovite was named to honor Igor Vasil’evich Kurchatov (1903–1960), Russian physicist, Institute of Nuclear Energy, Moscow, Russia. Kurchatov was a Soviet nuclear physicist who was the director of the Soviet atomic bomb project and is remembered as the "father of the Soviet atomic bomb" for his directorial role in the development of the Soviet nuclear program in a clandestine program during World War II.

Kurchatovite distribution: in Russia, from the Solongo boron deposit, Buryatia, and at the Novofrolovskoye copper deposit, near Krasnoturinsk, Turinsk district, Northern Ural Mountains.

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