Charoite Mineral Data

General Charoite Information

Chemical Formula:

K5Ca8(Si6O15)2(Si2O7)Si4O9(OH)•3(H2O)

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

Empirical Formula:

K₅Ca₈Si₁₈O₄₆(OH)•3(H₂O)

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.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1978

Locality:

Murun massif, Chara River area, Aldan Shield, SW Yakutia (Sakha Republic). Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

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

Images:

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

Images:

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

Images:

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

Images:

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

Images:

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

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.6105:1:0.2241

Cell Dimensions:

a = 19.61, b = 32.12, c = 7.2, Z = 4; beta = 93.76° V = 4,525.33 Den(Calc)= 2.68

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/I_o): 3.348(1), 3.134(0.85), 12.45(0.7),

Physical Properties of Charoite

Cleavage:

{???} Good, {???} Good, {???} Good

Color:

Violet, Lilac, Light brown.

Density:

2.54 - 2.58, Average = 2.56

Diaphaneity:

Translucent

Habit:

Massive - Fibrous - Distinctly fibrous fine-grained forms.

Hardness:

5-6 - Between Apatite and Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Weakly Fluorescent. Orange cathodeluminescent, Short UV=pale blue, Long UV=pale blue.

Luster:

Vitreous - Pearly

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Charoite

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

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.55, b=1.553, g=1.559, bire=0.0090, 2V(Calc)=72, 2V(Meas)=28-30.

Pleochroism (x):

rose.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Charoite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.68 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Charoite =2.68 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99

Photoelectric:

PE_Charoite= 4.27 barns/electron
U=PE_Charoite x r_electron= 11.44 barns/cc.

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

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

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

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Dana8) OPTIC PROP.(Dana8)

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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