Conchoidal - Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by smoothly curving surfaces, (e.g. quartz).
Habit:
Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.
Habit:
Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).
Habit:
Striated - Parallel lines on crystal surface or cleavage face.
Hardness:
6.5 - Pyrite
Streak:
dark brown
Optical Properties of Zirconolite
Gladstone-Dale:
CI meas= 0.036 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC) KPDmeas= 0.2542,KC= 0.2636 Ncalc = 2.27
Optical Data:
Isotropic, n=2.22.
Calculated Properties of Zirconolite
Electron Density:
Bulk Density (Electron Density)=4.48 gm/cc note: Specific Gravity of Zirconolite =4.80 gm/cc.
Fermion Index:
Fermion Index = 0.05 Boson Index = 0.95
Photoelectric:
PEZirconolite = 82.46 barns/electron U=PEZirconolite x relectron= 369.40 barns/cc.
Radioactivity:
GRapi = 7,666.97 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Zirconolite per GRapi unit = 130.43 (PPM)
Zirconolite is Radioactive as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. Greater than 70 Bq / gram.
Estimated Radioactivity from Zirconolite - mild
Specimen Size Weight/Volume (Sphere) *
Calculated Activity Bequerols (Bq)
Calculated Activity Curies (Ci)
Estimated Activity GR(api)
Estimated Exposure (mRem**)/hr If Held in Hand For One Hour
1000 gm / 7.36 cm
172,512
4.66E-06
7,666.97
2.52
100 gm / 3.41 cm
17,251
4.66E-07
766.70
0.25
10 gm / 1.58 cm
1,725
4.66E-08
76.67
0.03
1 gm / 7.36 mm
173
4.66E-09
7.67
0.00
0.1 gm / 3.41 mm
17
4.66E-10
0.77
0.00
0.01 gm / 1.58 mm
2
4.66E-11
0.08
0.00
0.001 gm / 0.74 mm
0
4.66E-12
0.01
0.00
Weight of pure Zirconolite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 4.80 gm/cc.*
Goverment Estimate of Average Annual Exposure (
360 mRem)
** Note: 10 microsieverts/hr = 1 mRem/hr **
Max Permissable Adult Dose 50,000 mRem/yr (hands), 15,000 mRem/yr (eyes)
Lethal Dose LD(50) Exposure 400,000 to 500,000 mRem
Estimated Thorium Activity ( 0.39 % Th) From Sum REE Elements ( 7.70 % REE)
Zirconolite Classification
Dana Class:
08.02.05.05(08)Multiple Oxides with Nb, Ta, and Ti
Chemical Formula: 
- mild