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| Shortite
was named to honor Dr. Maxwell Naylor Short (1889-1952), professor
of mineralogy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona,
USA.
| Discovered
in 1939;
IMA
status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered) |
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Chemistry
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Chemical
Formula: |
Na2Ca2(CO3)3 |
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Sodium
Calcium Carbonate |
Molecular
Weight: |
306.16 gm |
Composition: |
Sodium |
15.02 % |
Na |
20.24 % |
Na2O |
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Calcium |
26.18 % |
Ca |
36.63 % |
CaO |
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Carbon |
11.77 % |
C |
43.12 % |
CO2 |
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Oxygen |
47.03 % |
O |
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100.00 % |
|
100.00 % |
= TOTAL OXIDE |
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Classification
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Mineral
Classification: |
Carbonates
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Strunz 8th
Ed. ID:
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5/B.05-70
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Nickel-Strunz 10th
Ed. ID:
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5.AC.25
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5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
A : Carbonates without additional
anions, without H2O
C : Alkali and alkali-earth carbonates
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Related
to: |
Eitelite-Shortite-Carbocernaite Series
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Crystal
Data
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Crystallography:
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Orthorhombic
- Pyramidal
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Crystal
Habit:
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Crystals
are typically wedge-shaped, tabular to short prismatic,
to 3 cm, striated.
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Twinning:
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None
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Physical
Properties
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Cleavage: |
Distinct on
{010}
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Fracture: |
Conchoidal
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Tenacity:
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Brittle
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Hardness
(Mohs): |
3.0
- 4.5
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Density:
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2.600
- 2.629 (g/cm3)
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Luminescence:
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Pale
amber fluorescence under SW UV |
Radioactivity:
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Not
Radioacitve |
Other: |
Strongly
Pyroelectric.
Water
Soluble; decomposed by water with separation of CaCO3.
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Optical
Properties
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Color: |
Colorless,
light Yellow, dark Yellow, light Green
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Transparency: |
Transparent
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Luster: |
Vitreous
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Refractive
Index: |
1.531
- 1.570 Biaxial ( - ) |
Birefringence: |
0.0390
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Dispersion: |
Moderate; r < v
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Pleochroism: |
X
= colorless, Y = colorless, Z = colorless
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Occurances
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Geological
Setting: |
In
saline dolomitic marl (Green River Formation, Wyoming
and Utah, USA); in kimberlite dikes (Upper Canada mine,
Canada); in carbonatite (Vuoriyarvi massif, Kola Peninsula,
Russia); in differentiated alkalic massifs (Kovdor and
Khibiny massifs, Kola Peninsula, Russia); associated
with an intrusive alkalic gabbro-syenite complex (Mont
Saint-Hilaire, Canada). |
Common
Associations: |
Nahcolite,
Pyrite, Trona (Green River Formation, Wyoming and Utah,
USA); Apatite, Calcite, Magnetite, Olivine, Perovskite,
Phlogopite (Upper Canada mine, Canada); Albite, Barentsite,
Natrite, Natrolite, Villiaumite (Khibiny massif, Kola
Peninsula, Russia) |
Type
Locality: |
John Hay Jr. Well No. 1, Green River Formation,
Sweetwater County, Wyoming, USA |
Year
Discovered: |
1939
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View
mineral photos: |
Shortite
Mineral Photos and Locations |
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Unusual
Gem Categories
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Pyroelectric
Gems,
Water
Soluble
Gems |
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More
Information
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Mindat.org
Webmineral.com
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According to the Color Encyclopedia
of Gemstones by Joel Arem, "Shortite is
an exceedingly rare mineral. Cut gems are among the
rarest of all faceted stones. The material is a carbonate
and is therefore fragile and soft." The mineral
ranges from colorless to pale yellow. Shortite was first
described by J.J. Fahey of the U.S. Geological Survey
as a new mineral in 1939. It was discovered in oil well
drill cores from the Green River Formation, Sweetwater
County, Wyoming. Shortite
is soft and fragile, with a perfect cleavage and the
large birefringence typical of a carbonate mineral.
The fact that it decomposes in water makes it very difficult
to facet. Small, colorless gems have been faceted from
the crystals found at Sweetwater County. These gems
show pale
amber fluorescence under shortwave UV light. Yellow crystals of Shortite were discovered
at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec, Canada in 1991, and a
small quantity of gems were faceted from transparent pieces.
Shortite
was named to honor Dr. Maxwell Naylor Short (1889-1952), Professor
of Mineralogy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona,
USA. During World War I Short lost both legs in a mine explosion
while serving with the 319th Engineers at Camp
Fremont, California. This loss handicapped him greatly but did not stop him
from doing a great deal of field work and making great
contributions to the fields of geology and mineralogy. He was a Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of
America and was elected its president in 1939. He was a Fellow of the Geological Society of America
and vice-president of that organization in 1940. He
was an active member of the American Institute of Mining
and Metallurgical Engineers, and the Society of Economic
Geologists. He served
for many years as one of the associate editors of The
American Mineralogist, until the time of his death.
Shortite
distribution: n the USA, from the Green River Formation,
Wyoming and Utah, with indicated reserves of billions
of tons; found in the John Hay, Jr. Well No. 1, about
30 km west Green River, Sweetwater County, Wyoming;
and in the Uintah Basin, northeastern Utah. In Canada,
in the Upper Canada gold mine, Kirkland Lake district,
Ontario, and at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec. In Russia,
on the Kola Peninsula, in the Vuoriyarvi carbonatite
complex, from the Kovdor massif, and on Mt. Restin’yun,
Khibiny massif; from the Udachnaya pipe, Daldyn kimberlite
field, Sakha.
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Shortite
gems for sale:
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Gem:
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Shortite
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Stock
#:
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SHORT-002 |
Weight:
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0.1885
ct |
Size: |
4.88
x 2.83
x 2.15 mm |
Shape: |
Cushion |
Color: |
Colorless |
Clarity: |
VS2 |
Origin: |
Sweetwater
County, Wyoming, USA |
Treatment: |
None
(natural) |
Price: |
$176.00
[
Make an offer ] |
Pictures
are of the actual gem offered for
sale. Gem images are magnified to
show detail. |
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A very rare gem from
Green River Basin,
Sweetwater County, Wyoming, USA. The second picture shows the pale
amber fluorescence under shortwave UV light.
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Gem:
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Shortite |
Stock
#:
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SHORT-001 |
Weight:
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0.760
ct |
Size: |
8.50
x 6.30 mm |
Shape: |
Custom
Fancy |
Color: |
Pale
Canary Yellow |
Clarity: |
Eye
clean |
Origin: |
St.
Hilaire, Canada |
Treatment: |
None
(natural) |
Price: |
SOLD |
Pictures
are of the actual gem offered for
sale. Gem images are magnified to
show detail. |
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This
is an extremely rare gem in a very unique, beautiful
design with nice color. It is a very large gem for the variety.
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