Vaterite Mineral Data

General Vaterite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaCO3

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 100.09 gm

Calcium 40.04 % Ca 56.03 % CaO

Carbon 12.00 % C 43.97 % CO₂

Oxygen 47.96 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca(CO₃)

Environment:

Major constituent of a carbonated calcium silicate hydrogel complex formed from larnite. Trimorphous with aragonite and calcite; metastable below 400 deg C.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1911

Locality:

Ballycraigy, Larne, Co. Antrim, Ireland. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Heinrich Vater (1859-1930), Professor of Mineralogy and Chemistry, Tharandt, Germany.

Name Pronunciation:

Vaterite

Synonym:

ICSD 18127

PDF 33-268

Vaterite Image

Images:

Vaterite Defernite Manganite

Comments: Opaque white fibrous vaterite with red defernite and black manganite.
Location: Kombat Mine, Otavi, Otjozondjupa, Namibia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Vaterite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:2.37981

Cell Dimensions:

a = 7.135, c = 16.98, Z = 12; V = 748.61 Den(Calc)= 2.66

Crystal System:

Hexagonal - Dihexagonal Dipyramidal H-M Symbol (6/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: P 6₃/mmc

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.73(1), 3.3(1), 3.58(1),

Physical Properties of Vaterite

Cleavage:

{???} Good

Color:

Colorless.

Density:

2.54

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Hardness:

3 - Calcite

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Vaterite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.123 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.072 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2256,KPDmeas= 0.2362,KC= 0.2104
Ncalc = 1.53 - 1.56

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (+), w=1.55, e=1.65, bire=0.1000.

Calculated Properties of Vaterite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.66 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Vaterite =2.66 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0020908312
Boson Index = 0.9979091688

Photoelectric:

PE_Vaterite= 5.06 barns/electron
U=PE_Vaterite x rElectron Density= 13.45 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Vaterite Classification

Dana Class:

14.01.02.01 (14)Anhydrous Carbonates

(14.01)with Simple Formula A+ CO3

(14.01.02)Vaterite Group

14.01.02.01 Vaterite CaCO3 P 6₃/mmc 6/m 2/m 2/m

14.01.02.02 Gregoryite (Na2,K2,Ca)CO3 P 6₃mc 6mm

Strunz Class:

05.AB.20 05 - CARBONATES (NITRATES)

05.A - Carbonates without additional anions, without H2O

05.AB -Alkali-earth (and other M2+) carbonates

05.AB.20 Vaterite CaCO3 P 6₃/mmc 6/m 2/m 2/m

Other Vaterite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic3) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Vaterite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Athena
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 - MinDAT
13 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
14 - Online Mineral Museum
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info
17 - WWW-MINCRYST

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

Vaterite

CaCO3
Dana No: 14.01.02.01 Strunz No: 05.AB.20
Locality:

Notes:

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