Oursinite Mineral Data + Say OURSINITE

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General Oursinite Information

Help on Chemical  Formula: Chemical Formula: (Co,Mg)(H3O)2[(UO2)SiO4]2·3(H2O)
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 871.78 gm
   Magnesium   0.28 %  Mg    0.46 % MgO
   Uranium    54.61 %  U    61.95 % UO2
   Cobalt      6.08 %  Co    7.74 % CoO
   Silicon     6.44 %  Si   13.78 % SiO2
   Hydrogen    1.39 %  H    12.40 % H2O
   Oxygen     31.20 %  O
             ______        ______ 
             100.00 %       96.33 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: Co0.9Mg0.1(H3O)2(UO2)2(SiO4)2·3(H2O)
Help on Environment: Environment: In the oxidation zones of uranium ores.
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Approved IMA 1983
Help on Locality: Locality: Shikolobwe, Shava, Zaire. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: Named from the French "oursin", sea urchin, in allusion to the radiating habit of the acicular crystals.
 

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Oursinite Crystallography

Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:b:c =0.7259:1:0.4017
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 12.74, b = 17.55, c = 7.05, Z = 4; V = 1,576.29 Den(Calc)= 3.67
Help on Crystal System: Crystal System: OrthorhombicSpace Group: Aba2,Abam
Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 8.73(1), 2.853(0.9), 7.2(0.7),
Click Here for Large Oursinite Structure Window Crystal Structure:

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Kabatko K A , Burns P C , American Mineralogist , 91 (2006) p.333-336, A novel arrangement of silicate tetrahedra in the uranyl silicate sheet of, oursinite, (Co0.8Mg0.2)[(UO2)(SiO3OH)]2(H2O)6

 

Physical Properties of Oursinite

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: [???] Good
Help on Color: Color: Pale yellow.
Help on Density: Density: 3.674
Help on Diaphaniety: Diaphaniety: Transparent to Translucent
Help on Habit: Habit: Acicular - Occurs as needle-like crystals.
Help on Habit: Habit: Aggregates - Made of numerous individual crystals or clusters.
Help on Habit: Habit: Radial - Crystals radiate from a center without producing stellar forms (e.g. stibnite)
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 3-3.5 - Calcite-Copper Penny
Help on Luster: Luster: Vitreous (Glassy)
 

Optical Properties of Oursinite

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= -0.177 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.178 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1738,KPDmeas= 0.1737,KC= 0.1475
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Biaxial (-), a=1.624, b=1.64, g=1.65, bire=0.0260, 2V(Calc)=76, 2V(Meas)=76.
 

Calculated Properties of Oursinite

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density:

relectron=3.25 gm/cc
note: rOursinite =3.67 gm/cc.

Help on Fermion Index Fermion Index Fermion Index = 0.00737
Boson Index = 0.99263
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric:

PEOursinite =1,403.43 barns/electron
U=PEOursinite x relectron=4,560.10 barns/cc.

Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity:

GRapi = 4,116,513.47 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Oursinite 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) 7.39 ± 1.85 grams of pure Oursinite .
Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 100 cm box) 738.89 ±184.72 grams of pure Oursinite .

Estimated Radioactivity from Oursinite - very strong
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 / 8.04 cm 97,747,049 2.64E-03 4,116,513.47 1,353.37
100 gm / 3.73 cm 9,774,705 2.64E-04 411,651.35 135.34
10 gm / 1.73 cm 977,470 2.64E-05 41,165.13 13.53
1 gm / 8.04 mm 97,747 2.64E-06 4,116.51 1.35
0.1 gm / 3.73 mm 9,775 2.64E-07 411.65 0.14
0.01 gm / 1.73 mm 977 2.64E-08 41.17 0.01
0.001 gm / 0.80 mm 98 2.64E-09 4.12 0.00

Weight of pure Oursinite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 3.67 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
 

Oursinite Classification

Help on  Dana Class: Dana Class: 53.3.1.7 (53)Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups and Other Anions of Complex Cations
  (53.3)with (UO2)
  (53.3.1)Uranophane group
 
53.3.1.1 Kasolite Pb(UO2)SiO4·(H2O) P 21/a 2/m
 
53.3.1.2 Uranophane Ca(UO2)2SiO3(OH)2·5(H2O) P 21 2
 
53.3.1.3 Sklodowskite (H3O)2Mg(UO2)2(SiO4)2·4(H2O) C 2/m 2/m
 
53.3.1.4 Cuprosklodowskite Cu[(UO2)(SiO2OH)]2·6(H2O) P1 1
 
53.3.1.5 Boltwoodite HK(UO2)(SiO4)·1.5(H2O) P 21 2
 
53.3.1.6 Sodium-boltwoodite (H3O)(Na,K)(UO2)SiO4·(H2O) P 212121 2 2 2
 
53.3.1.7 Oursinite (Co,Mg)(H3O)2[(UO2)SiO4]2·3(H2O) Aba2,Abam Ortho
 
53.3.1.8 Swamboite UH6(UO2)6(SiO4)6·30(H2O) P 21/a 2/m
 
53.3.1.9 Uranophane-beta Ca[(UO2)SiO3(OH)]2·(H2O) P 21/a 2/m
Help on  Strunz Class: Strunz Class: VIII/B.34-30 VIII - Silicates
  VIII/B - Nesosub-silicates. "Insel" silicates with anions unfamiliar to tetraheders. Uranyl-"Insel" silicates with [UO2]2+ - [SiO4]4-
  VIII/B.34 - Sklodowskite - Uranophane - Kasolite series
 
VIII/B.34-10 Sklodowskite (H3O)2Mg(UO2)2(SiO4)2·4(H2O) C 2/m 2/m
 
VIII/B.34-20 Cuprosklodowskite Cu[(UO2)(SiO2OH)]2·6(H2O) P1 1
 
VIII/B.34-30 Oursinite (Co,Mg)(H3O)2[(UO2)SiO4]2·3(H2O) Aba2,Abam Ortho
 
VIII/B.34-40 Uranophane Ca(UO2)2SiO3(OH)2·5(H2O) P 21 2
 
VIII/B.34-50 Uranophane-beta Ca[(UO2)SiO3(OH)]2·(H2O) P 21/a 2/m
 
VIII/B.34-60 Boltwoodite HK(UO2)(SiO4)·1.5(H2O) P 21 2
 
VIII/B.34-70 Sodium-boltwoodite (H3O)(Na,K)(UO2)SiO4·(H2O) P 212121 2 2 2
 
VIII/B.34-80 Kasolite Pb(UO2)SiO4·(H2O) P 21/a 2/m
 

Other Oursinite Information

Help on References: References: NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)
Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Oursinite :
1 -Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database 2 -Athena 3 - EUROmin Project 4 -Google Images 5 -Google Scholar 6 -Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm) 7 -Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA) 8 -MinDAT 9 -MinMax(Deutsch) 10 -MinMax(English) 11 -Mineralienatlas (Deutsch) 12 -QUT Mineral Atlas 13 - Uranium Minerals 14 -École des Mines de Paris

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

Oursinite

(Co,Mg)(H3O)2[(UO2)SiO4]2·3(H2O)
Dana No: 53.3.1.7 Strunz No: VIII/B.34-30
Locality:

 

Notes:

 

 
   
 
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