Gittinsite Mineral Data

General Gittinsite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaZrSi2O7

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 299.47 gm

Calcium 13.38 % Ca 18.73 % CaO

Zirconium 30.46 % Zr 41.15 % ZrO₂

Silicon 18.76 % Si 40.13 % SiO₂

Oxygen 37.40 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaZrSi₂O₇

Environment:

In eudialyte-rich pegmatitic lenses in a regionally metamorphosed agpaitic syenite complex (Kipawa River, Canada).

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1980

Locality:

Sheï¿½eld Lake complex, Kipawa River, Villedieu Township, Quebec, Canada. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for John Gittins, Canadian petrologist, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Name Pronunciation:

Gittinsite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 203131

IMA1970-034

PDF 33-322

Gittinsite Image

Images:

Gittinsite Eudialyte

Comments: White crystalline gittinsite with red eudialyte.
Location: Kipiwa Complex, Villedieu Township, Quebec, Canada. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Gittinsite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.7929:1:0.5415

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.878, b = 8.674, c = 4.697, Z = 2; beta = 101.74° V = 274.36 Den(Calc)= 3.62

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - Prismatic H-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: C 2/m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.155(1), 3.026(0.8), 3.232(0.8),

Physical Properties of Gittinsite

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Lemon white.

Density:

3.62

Hardness:

3.5-4 - Copper Penny-Fluorite

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Gittinsite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.036 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.036 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.202,KPDmeas= 0.202,KC= 0.2096
Ncalc = 1.76

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.72, b=1.736, g=1.738, bire=0.0180, 2V(Calc)=38, 2V(Meas)=30.

Calculated Properties of Gittinsite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.48 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Gittinsite =3.62 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.04
Boson Index = 0.96

Photoelectric:

PE_Gittinsite= 43.15 barns/electron
U=PE_Gittinsite x rElectron Density= 150.22 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Gittinsite is Not Radioactive

Gittinsite Classification

Dana Class:

55.02.01a.01 (55)Sorosilicate Si2O7 Groups, Generally with No Additional Anions

(55.02)with cations in [6] coordination

(55.02.01a)Thortveitite group

55.02.01a.01 Gittinsite CaZrSi2O7 C 2/m 2/m

55.02.01a.02 Keiviite-(Y) (Y,Yb)2Si2O7 C 2/m 2/m

55.02.01a.03 Keiviite-(Yb) (Yb,Y)2Si2O7 C 2/m 2/m

55.02.01a.04 Thortveitite (Sc,Y)2Si2O7 C 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.BC.05 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.B - Sorosilicates

09.BC -Si2O7 groups, without non-tetrahedral anions;

09.BC.05 Keiviite-(Y) (Y,Yb)2Si2O7 C 2/m 2/m

09.BC.05 Gittinsite CaZrSi2O7 C 2/m 2/m

09.BC.05 Keiviite-(Yb) (Yb,Y)2Si2O7 C 2/m 2/m

09.BC.05 Thortveitite (Sc,Y)2Si2O7 C 2/m 2/m

09.BC.05 Yttrialite-(Y) (Y,Th)2Si2O7 P 2₁/m 2/m

Other Gittinsite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic2) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

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

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Gittinsite

CaZrSi2O7
Dana No: 55.02.01a.01 Strunz No: 09.BC.05
Locality:

Notes:

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