Brabantite Mineral Data

General Brabantite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaTh(PO4)2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 462.06 gm

Calcium 8.67 % Ca 12.14 % CaO

Thorium 50.22 % Th 57.14 % ThO₂

Phosphorus 13.41 % P 30.72 % P₂O₅

Oxygen 27.70 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaTh(PO₄)₂

Environment:

In a zoned granite pegmatite. The name brabantite (1980) has been discredited, cheralite having priority as name for members dominated by CaTh(PO4)2.

IMA Status:

Discredited IMA 2006

Locality:

In the Van der Made pegmatite, Brabant Farm, west of Itiro, Karibib district, Namibia. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

For the Brabant Farm, Namibia, location of the pegmatite where the mineral was first found.

Name Pronunciation:

Brabantite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

Lingaitukuang

Brabantite Image

Images:

Brabantite

Comments: Altering micro grain of brabantite.
Location: Kuttakuzhi, near Trivandrum, Travancore, Kerala, India. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Brabantite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.9701:1:0.9299

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.726, b = 6.933, c = 6.447, Z = 2; beta = 103.883° V = 291.85 Den(Calc)= 5.26

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - SphenoidalH-M Symbol (2) Space Group: P 2₁

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.06(1), 2.85(0.75), 3.26(0.7),

Physical Properties of Brabantite

Cleavage:

{100} Good, {001} Good

Color:

Gray brown, Reddish brown.

Density:

4.72

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to Translucent

Hardness:

5.5 - Knife Blade

Luster:

Vitreous - Resinous

Optical Properties of Brabantite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.127 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.217 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1388,KPDmeas= 0.1547,KC= 0.1771
Ncalc = 1.84 - 1.93

Optical Data:

Biaxial (?), b=1.73

Calculated Properties of Brabantite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=4.17 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Brabantite =4.72 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0002505634
Boson Index = 0.9997494366

Photoelectric:

PE_Brabantite=1,198.21 barns/electron
U=PE_Brabantite x r_electron=4,993.89 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 945,983.71 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Brabantite per GRapi unit =1,057.10 (PPB)

Brabantite is Radioactive as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. Greater than 70 Bq / gram.

Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 10 cm box) 32.15 ± 8.04 grams of pure Brabantite .
Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 100 cm box) 3215.3 ±803.84 grams of pure Brabantite .

**Estimated Radioactivity from Brabantite** - strong
Specimen Size Weight/Volume (Sphere) *	Calculated Activity Becquerels (Bq)	Calculated Activity Curies (Ci)	Estimated Activity GR(api)	Estimated Exposure (mRem**)/hr If Held in Hand For One Hour
1000 gm / 7.40 cm	22,497,800	6.08E-04	945,983.71	311.01
100 gm / 3.43 cm	2,249,780	6.08E-05	94,598.37	31.10
10 gm / 1.59 cm	224,978	6.08E-06	9,459.84	3.11
1 gm / 7.40 mm	22,498	6.08E-07	945.98	0.31
0.1 gm / 3.43 mm	2,250	6.08E-08	94.60	0.03
0.01 gm / 1.59 mm	225	6.08E-09	9.46	0.00
0.001 gm / 0.74 mm	22	6.08E-10	0.95	0.00

Weight of pure Brabantite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 4.72 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

Brabantite Classification

Dana Class:

38.04.03.04 (38)Anhydrous Phosphates, etc

(38.04)A+ XO4

(38.04.03)Monazite Group (Monoclinic: P21/n)

38.04.03.01 Monazite-(Ce) (Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO4 P 2₁/n 2/m

38.04.03.02 Monazite-(La) (La,Ce,Nd)PO4 P 2₁/n 2/m

38.04.03.03 Cheralite-(Ce)? (Ce,Ca,Th)(P,Si)O4 P 2₁/n 2/m

38.04.03.04 Brabantite? CaTh(PO4)2 P 2₁ 2

38.04.03.05 Monazite-(Nd) (Nd,Ce,La)(P,Si)O4 P 2₁/n 2/m

38.04.03.06 Gasparite-(Ce) CeAsO4 P 2₁/n 2/m

38.04.03.07 Monazite-(Sm)! SmPO4 P 2₁/n 2/m

Strunz Class:

08.AD.50 08 - PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES

08.A - Phosphates, etc. without additional anions, without H2O

08.AD -With only large cations

08.AD.50 Brabantite? CaTh(PO4)2 P 2₁ 2

08.AD.50 Gasparite-(Ce) CeAsO4 P 2₁/n 2/m

08.AD.50 Monazite-(Ce) (Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO4 P 2₁/n 2/m

08.AD.50 Monazite-(La) (La,Ce,Nd)PO4 P 2₁/n 2/m

08.AD.50 Monazite-(Nd) (Nd,Ce,La)(P,Si)O4 P 2₁/n 2/m

08.AD.50 Rooseveltite BiAsO4 P 2/m 2/m

08.AD.50 Monazite-(Sm)! SmPO4 P 2₁/n 2/m

Other Brabantite 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 Brabantite :
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 - Uranium Minerals
16 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Brabantite using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Brabantite :

A Bijoux Google Search for Brabantite
Adam's Minerals Google Search for Brabantite
Cape Minerals Google Search for Brabantite
Dakota Matrix Minerals Google Search for Brabantite
Excalibur Mineral Corp. Google Search for Brabantite
Exceptional Minerals Google Search for Brabantite
John Betts Fine Minerals Search for Brabantite
McDougall Minerals Google Search for Brabantite
Mineral News Website Link
Rock and Mineral Shows Google Search for Brabantite
Weinrich Minerals, Inc. Google Search for Brabantite

Ask about Brabantite here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

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

Brabantite

CaTh(PO4)2
Dana No: 38.04.03.04 Strunz No: 08.AD.50
Locality:

Notes: