Produced by late-stage crystallization of alkalic nepheline syenite magmas in pegmatites in differentiated alkalic massifs. Hydrous manganese phyllosilicate.
IMA Status:
Approved IMA 1982
Locality:
On Mts. Rasvumchorr, Niorkpakhk, Koashkar, and Koashva, Khibiny massif, and at the Jubilee pegmatite, Mt. Karnasurt, and several other localities in the Lovozero massif, Kola Peninsula
Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Name Origin:
Named for Ilarion Ilarionovich Shafranovskii (1907-1994), mineralogist and crystallographer at the Mining Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Conchoidal - Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by smoothly curving surfaces, (e.g. quartz).
Habit:
Aggregates - Made of numerous individual crystals or clusters.
Habit:
Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.
Hardness:
2-3 - Gypsum-Calcite
Luster:
Vitreous (Glassy)
Streak:
greenish white
Optical Properties of Shafranovskite
Dichroism (e):
pale yellow green.
Dichroism (w):
pale yellow green.
Gladstone-Dale:
CI meas= 0.036 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC) CI calc= 0.018 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2127,KPDmeas= 0.2088,KC= 0.2166 Ncalc = 1.59 - 1.6
Optical Data:
Uniaxial (-), e=1.57, w=1.587, bire=0.0170.
Calculated Properties of Shafranovskite
Electron Density:
Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.70 gm/cc note: Specific Gravity of Shafranovskite =2.72 gm/cc.
Fermion Index:
Fermion Index = 0.01 Boson Index = 0.99
Photoelectric:
PEShafranovskite = 5.99 barns/electron U=PEShafranovskite x relectron= 16.17 barns/cc.
Radioactivity:
GRapi = 94.77 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Shafranovskite per GRapi unit = 1.06 (%)
Estimated Radioactivity from Shafranovskite - barely detectable
Chemical Formula: 
- barely detectable