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Charoite Mineral Data

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General Charoite Information

Help on Chemical  Formula: Chemical Formula: K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)•3(H2O)
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 1,828.68 gm
   Potassium  10.69 %  K    12.88 % K2O
   Calcium    17.53 %  Ca   24.53 % CaO
   Silicon    27.65 %  Si   59.14 % SiO2
   Hydrogen    0.39 %  H     3.45 % H2O
   Oxygen     43.75 %  O
             ______        ______ 
             100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: K5Ca8Si18O46(OH)•3(H2O)
Help on Environment: Environment: Occurs within a syenite massif, in metasomatic rocks, formed between 200-250 deg. C and enriched with K at the contact of the massif with limestone.
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Approved IMA 1978
Help on Locality: Locality: Murun massif, Chara River area, Aldan Shield, SW Yakutia (Sakha Republic). Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: Named for the impression that it gives: "chary" in Russian means "charms" or "magic" and not for the Chara River, which is 70 km away from the locality.
 

Charoite Image

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  Charoite

Comments: Polished slab of purple charoite.
Location: Murun Massif, Chara River, Davan, Torgo River Basin, Aldan Shield, Saha (Sakha) Republic (Yakutia), Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia. Scale: Picture size 6.5 cm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

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  Fedorite   Charoite

Comments: Tan crystalline platy fedorite in pale violet charoite.
Location: Murun, Republic of Sakha, Siberia, Russia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

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  Tinaksite   Charoite

Comments: Yellow-brown prismatic tinaksite crystals in purple charoite with black aegirine.
Location: Murun, Aldan Uplift, Chara and Olekma Rivers, near Olekminsk, Republic of Sakha, Siberia, Russia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

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  Tokkoite   Charoite

Comments: Yellow crystalline tokkoite intermixed with purple charoite (viewed cross-sectional to fiber direction).
Location: Murun, Aldan, Republic of Sakha, Siberia, Russia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

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  Charoite   Tinaksite

Comments: Polished slab of deep purple chariote with inclusions of black augite, white feldspar and orange tinaksite.
Location: Murun, Siberia, Russia. Scale: Picture size 10 cm.
© Kevin Ward

Charoite Crystallography

Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:b:c =0.6105:1:0.2241
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 19.61, b = 32.12, c = 7.2, Z = 4; beta = 93.76° V = 4,525.33 Den(Calc)= 2.68
Help on Crystal System: Crystal System: Monoclinic - Prismatic H-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: P*/4 ((pseudo Ortho)
Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 3.348(1), 3.134(0.85), 12.45(0.7),
 

Physical Properties of Charoite

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: {???} Good, {???} Good, {???} Good
Help on Color: Color: Violet, Lilac, Light brown.
Help on Density: Density: 2.54 - 2.58, Average = 2.56
Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity: Translucent
Help on Habit: Habit: Massive - Fibrous - Distinctly fibrous fine-grained forms.
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 5-6 - Between Apatite and Orthoclase
Help on Luminescence: Luminescence: Weakly Fluorescent. Orange cathodeluminescent, Short UV=pale blue, Long UV=pale blue.
Help on Luster: Luster: Vitreous - Pearly
Help on Streak: Streak: white
 

Optical Properties of Charoite

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= -0.023 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.023 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2067,KPDmeas= 0.2164,KC= 0.2115
Ncalc = 1.54 - 1.57
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Biaxial (+), a=1.55, b=1.553, g=1.559, bire=0.0090, 2V(Calc)=72, 2V(Meas)=28-30.
Help on Pleochroism (x): Pleochroism (x): rose.
Help on Pleochroism (y): Pleochroism (y): colorless.
Help on Pleochroism (z): Pleochroism (z): colorless.
 

Calculated Properties of Charoite

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density: Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.68 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Charoite =2.68 gm/cc.
Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index: Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric: PECharoite = 4.27 barns/electron
U=PECharoite x relectron= 11.44 barns/cc.
Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity:

GRapi = 154.18 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Charoite per GRapi unit = 0.65 (%)

Estimated Radioactivity from Charoite - barely detectable

 

Charoite Classification

Help on  Dana Class: Dana Class: 70.01.02.03 (70)Inosilicate Column or Tube Structures
  (70.01)with columnar silicate units
  (70.01.02)Double crankshaft chains
 
70.01.02.01 Narsarsukite Na2(Ti,Fe)Si4(O,F)11 I 4/m 4/m
 
70.01.02.02 Caysichite-(Y) Y2(Ca,Gd)2Si4O10(CO3)3(H2O,O,OH)•3H20 Ccm21 mm2
 
70.01.02.03 Charoite K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)•3(H2O) P*/4 ((pseudo Ortho) 2/m
Help on  Strunz Class: Strunz Class: 09.DG.09.2 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)
  09.D - Inosilicates* Structural terminology according to Liebau (1985)
  09.DG -Inosilicates with 3-periodic single and multiple chains
 
09.DG.09.2 Charoite K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)•3(H2O) P*/4 ((pseudo Ortho) 2/m
 

Other Charoite Information

Help on References: References: NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Dana8) OPTIC PROP.(Dana8)
Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Charoite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - CalTech Mineral Spectroscopy
5 - EUROmin Project
6 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
7 - GeoScienceWorld
8 - Google Images
9 - Google Scholar
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
11 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
12 - HyperPhysics
13 - MinDAT
14 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
15 - Online Mineral Museum
16 - QUT Mineral Atlas
17 - Ruff.Info
18 - Tradeshop.com - The Rainbow of Gems

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

Charoite

K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)•3(H2O)
Dana No: 70.01.02.03 Strunz No: 09.DG.09.2
Locality:

 

Notes:

 

 
   
 


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