Gainesite Mineral Data

General Gainesite Information

Chemical Formula:

Na2Zr2Be(PO4)4•1-2(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 639.49 gm

Cesium 2.08 % Cs 2.20 % Cs₂O

Potassium 1.83 % K 2.21 % K₂O

Sodium 5.75 % Na 7.75 % Na₂O

Lithium 0.11 % Li 0.23 % Li₂O

Calcium 0.63 % Ca 0.88 % CaO

Zirconium 24.25 % Zr 32.76 % ZrO₂

Beryllium 0.85 % Be 2.35 % BeO

Iron 0.87 % Fe 1.12 % FeO

Phosphorus 19.37 % P 44.39 % P₂O₅

Hydrogen 0.47 % H 4.23 % H₂O

Oxygen 43.78 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 98.12 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Na_1.6K_0.3Cs_0.1Be_0.6Li_0.1Zr_1.7Fe²⁺_0.1Ca_0.1(PO₄)₄ï¿½1.5(H₂O)

Environment:

Accessory mineral in a granite pegmatite.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1983

Locality:

Nevel quarry, Newry, Oxford County, Maine, USA. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Richard Venable Gaines (1917-1999), American mineralogist, economic geologist, and mineral collector of Earlysville, Virginia, USA, for his interest in beryllium minerals.

Name Pronunciation:

Gainesite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 31199

PDF 35-604

Gainesite Image

Images:

Gainesite

Comments: Fragment of intensely blue colored gainesite on paper.
Location: Nevel Quarry (Twin Tunnels; United Feldspar Quarry), Newry, Oxford Co., Maine, USA. Scale: Fragment Size 0.2 mm.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Gainesite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:2.60682

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.567, c = 17.119, Z = 2; V = 738.27 Den(Calc)= 2.88

Crystal System:

Tetragonal - Ditetragonal Dipyramidal H-M Symbol (4/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: I 4₁/amd

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 6.068(1), 3.265(0.9), 3.023(0.5),

Physical Properties of Gainesite

Color:

Blue.

Density:

2.94

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Fracture:

Conchoidal - Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by smoothly curving surfaces, (e.g. quartz).

Habit:

Pyramidal - Crystals are shaped like pyramids.

Hardness:

4 - Fluorite

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Optical Properties of Gainesite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.079 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.101 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2167,KPDmeas= 0.2122,KC= 0.1967
Ncalc = 1.57 - 1.58

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (+), w=1.618, e=1.63, bire=0.0120.

Calculated Properties of Gainesite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.82 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Gainesite =2.94 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.03
Boson Index = 0.97

Photoelectric:

PE_Gainesite= 42.30 barns/electron
U=PE_Gainesite x r_electron= 119.44 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 25.43 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Gainesite per GRapi unit = 3.93 (%)

Estimated Radioactivity from Gainesite - barely detectable

Gainesite Classification

Dana Class:

40.05.04.01 (40)Hydrated Phosphates, etc

(40.05)with miscellaneous formulae

(40.05.04)Gainesite Group

40.05.04.01 Gainesite Na2Zr2Be(PO4)4•1-2(H2O) I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

40.05.04.02 Mccrillisite NaCs(Be,Li)Zr2(PO4)4•1-2(H2O) I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

40.05.04.03 Selwynite NaK(Be,Al)Zr2(PO4)4•2(H2O) I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

08.CA.20 08 - PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES

08.C - Phosphates without Additional Anions, with H2O

08.CA -With small and large/medium cations

08.CA.20 Gainesite Na2Zr2Be(PO4)4•1-2(H2O) I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

08.CA.20 Mccrillisite NaCs(Be,Li)Zr2(PO4)4•1-2(H2O) I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

08.CA.20 Selwynite NaK(Be,Al)Zr2(PO4)4•2(H2O) I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

Other Gainesite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic4) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Gainesite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
4 - GeoScienceWorld
5 - Google Images
6 - Google Scholar
7 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
8 - MinDAT
9 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
10 - Online Mineral Museum
11 - QUT Mineral Atlas
12 - Ruff.Info
13 - WWW-MINCRYST

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

Gainesite

Na2Zr2Be(PO4)4•1-2(H2O)
Dana No: 40.05.04.01 Strunz No: 08.CA.20
Locality:

Notes:

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