Gowerite Mineral Data

Gowerite Mineral Data +

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General Gowerite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaB6O10·5(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 355.01 gm

Calcium 11.29 % Ca 15.80 % CaO

Boron 18.27 % B 58.83 % B₂O₃

Hydrogen 2.84 % H 25.37 % H₂O

Oxygen 67.60 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaB₆O₁₀·5(H₂O)

Environment:

Lacusterine limestone deposits containing borate minerals.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1959

Locality:

Mott open cut, head of 20 mule Team Canyon, Death Valley, Inyo Co. California. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Synonym:

ICSD 22047

PDF 12-528

Gowerite Image

Images:

Gowerite

Comments: Coatings of acicular radiating crystal clusters of gowerite.
Location: Furnace Creek, Death Valley, Inyo County, California, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Gowerite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.6725:1:0.401

Cell Dimensions:

a = 11.03, b = 16.4, c = 6.577, Z = 4; beta = 90.933° V = 1,189.57 Den(Calc)= 1.98

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: P 2₁/n,P 2₁/a

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 8.2(1), 3.19(0.45), 9.2(0.25),

Crystal Structure:

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drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
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Konnert J A , Clark J R , Christ C L , American Mineralogist , 57 (1972) p.381-396, Gowerite, CaB5O8(OH).B(OH)3.3H2O: Crystal structure and comparison with, related borates

Physical Properties of Gowerite

Cleavage:

[100] Indistinct, [001] Distinct

Color:

Colorless, White.

Density:

Diaphaniety:

Transparent

Fracture:

Brittle - Uneven - Very brittle fracture producing uneven fragments.

Hardness:

3 - Calcite

Luminescence:

Fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Gowerite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.04 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.051 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2584,KPDmeas= 0.2558,KC= 0.2459

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.484, b=1.501, g=1.55, bire=0.0660

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Gowerite

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.03 gm/cc
note: r_Gowerite=2.00 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.03683
Boson Index = 0.96317

Photoelectric:

PE_Gowerite= 1.65 barns/electron
U=PE_Gowerite x r_electron= 3.35 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Gowerite is Not Radioactive

Gowerite Classification

Dana Class:

26.5.8.1 (26)Hydrated Borates Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen

(26.5)Dana Type

(26.5.8)Dana Group

26.5.8.1 Gowerite CaB6O10·5(H2O) P 2₁/n,P 2₁/a 2/m

Strunz Class:

V/K.05-20 V - Nitrates, Carbonates and Borates

V/K - Layered borates with complex groups [Bx(O,OH)y]

V/K.05 - Volkovskite - Veatchite-A series

V/K.05-10 Volkovskite KCa4[B5O8(OH)4][B(OH)3]Cl·4(H2O) P1 1

V/K.05-20 Gowerite CaB6O10·5(H2O) P 2₁/n,P 2₁/a 2/m

V/K.05-30 Veatchite Sr2B11O16(OH)5·(H2O) Aa m

V/K.05-40 Veatchite-p! Sr2B11O16(OH)5·(H2O) P 2₁ 2

V/K.05-50 Veatchite-A Sr2B11O16(OH)5·(H2O) A1,A1 Tri

Other Gowerite Information

References:

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

See Also:

Links to other databases for Gowerite :
1 -Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database 2 -Athena 3 - EUROmin Project 4 -Google Images 5 -Google Scholar 6 -Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA) 7 -MinDAT 8 -MinMax(Deutsch) 9 -MinMax(English) 10 -Mineralienatlas (Deutsch) 11 -QUT Mineral Atlas 12 - WWW-MINCRYST 13 -École des Mines de Paris

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Gowerite

CaB6O10·5(H2O)
Dana No: 26.5.8.1 Strunz No: V/K.05-20
Locality:

Notes: