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Samarskite-(Y)  
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Samarskite is named for Colonel Vasilii Yefrafovich von Samarski-Bykhovets (1803-1870), Chief of Staff of the Russian Corps of Mining Engineers. The -(Y) is for the Yttrium content.

Discovered in 1847;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

(Y,Fe³⁺,U)(Nb,Ta)O₄

Yttrium Cerium Uranium Iron Niobium Tantalum Titanium Oxide

Molecular Weight:

299.85 gm

Composition:

La,Ce,Pr,Nd,Sm

14.41 %

RE

16.81 %

REE₂O₃

Yttrium

5.93 %

Y

7.53 %

Y₂O₃

Uranium

15.88 %

U

18.01 %

UO₂

Tantalum

12.07 %

Ta

14.74 %

Ta₂O₅

Niobium

24.79 %

Nb

35.46 %

Nb₂O₅

Iron

5.59 %

Fe

7.99 %

Fe₂O₃

Oxygen

21.34 %

O

100.00 %

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Oxides

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

4/D.19-60

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

4.DB.25

4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
D : Metal: Oxygen = 1:2 and similar
B : With medium-sized cations; chains of edge-sharing octahedra

Related to:

Samarskite Group. The Y analogue of Samarskite-(Yb).

Varieties:

Titanian Samarskite-(Y), Vietinghofite

Synonyms:

Adelfolite, Adelpholite, Ampangabéite, Eytlandite, Hydroeuxenite, Hydrosamarskite, Nuevite, Samarskite, Uranoniobit (of Rose), Uranotantal

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal (may be metamict - a mineral originally crystalline, eventually amorphous due to radiation damage)

Crystal Habit:

Crystals, typically rough, elongated || [001], to 12 cm, pyramidal terminations, cross-sections rectangular, flattened on {100} or {010}; commonly granular, massive.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

{010} Indistinct

Fracture:

Concoidal to small Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

5.0 - 6.0; (VHN = 736–897)

Density:

5.00 - 5.69 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Very Strong; GRapi = 1,202,300.20 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Health Warning:

Contains uranium - always wash hands after handling. Avoid inhaling dust when handling or breaking. Never lick or ingest. Avoid prolonged exposure in proximity of the body. Store away from inhabited areas.

Optical Properties

Color:

Velvet-black, may have a Brownish tint, Brown to Yellowish Brown due to alteration; light to dark Brown in transmitted light

Transparency:

Opaque, Transparent in thin fragments

Luster:

Vitreous, Resinous, Sub-Metallic, externally Dull

Refractive Index:

n = 2.1 - 2.2  Isotropic

Birefringence:

0.000; Isotropic minerals have no birefringence

Occurances

Geological Setting:

Common Associations:

Columbite, Zircon, Monazite, Uraninite, Aeschynite, Magnetite, Albite, Topaz, Beryl, Garnet, Muscovite, Biotite

Type Locality:

Blyumovskaya Pit (Blum Pit; Pit No. 50), Ilmen Natural Reserve, Ilmen Mts, Chelyabinsk Oblast', Southern Urals, Urals Region, Russia

Year Discovered:

1847

View mineral photos:

Samarskite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Samarskite-(Y) is one of several Rare Earth Oxides. Other rare earth oxides such as Fergusonite and Euxenite-(Y) have very similar properties to Samarskite-(Y) and are often associated with each other. Samarskite-(Y) is a radioactive due to its uranium and cerium content and should be handled and stored carefully - human exposure should be very limited!

The few localities for analyzed material include: at Miass, Ilmen Mountains, Southern Ural Mountains, Russia. From the Ånneröd, Iveland, and Setesdal districts, Norway. In the USA, at Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut; in the Mitchell pegmatite, Bedford County, Virginia; around Spruce Pine, Mitchell County, North Carolina; near Nuevo, Riverside County, California; at the Addey claims, along Texas Creek, Fremont County, Colorado; and in the New Year’s Eve mine, Sierrita Mountains, Pima County, Arizona. At Divéina de Uba, near Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In Madagascar, from Ambatofotsikely, Antsirabe, Ampangab, and elsewhere. At Kivu, Kivu Province, Congo (Zaire). In Japan, especially in the Ishikawa district, Fukushima Prefecture. Many other localities are known.
 

  
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