Samarskite-(Y) Mineral Data

Samarskite-(Y) Mineral Data +

General Samarskite-(Y) Information

Chemical Formula:

(Y,Fe+++,U)(Nb,Ta)5O4

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 299.85 gm

La,Ce,Pr,Nd,Sm, 14.41 % RE 16.81 % REE₂O₃

Yttrium 5.93 % Y 7.53 % Y₂O₃

Uranium 15.88 % U 18.01 % UO₂

Tantalum 12.07 % Ta 14.74 % Ta₂O₅

Niobium 24.79 % Nb 35.46 % Nb₂O₅

Iron 5.59 % Fe 7.99 % Fe₂O₃

Oxygen 21.34 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.53 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Y_0.2REE_0.3Fe³⁺_0.3U_0.2Nb_0.8Ta_0.2O₄

Environment:

Accessory mineral in REE-rich granite pegmatites.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1847

Locality:

Miass, Ilmen Mountains, Southern Ural Mountains, Russia. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Vasilii Yefrafovich von Samarski-Bykhovets (1803-1870), Chief of Staff of the Russian Corps of Mining Engineers.

Samarskite-(Y) Image

Images:

Samarskite-(Y)

Comments: A black crystal of samarskite. Ex collection Gustav Rose 1832, found on his travel together with Alexander von Humboldt through the Ural Mts.
Location: Miass, Ilmen Mts, Chelyabinsk Oblast', Urals Region, Russia. Scale: Crystal size 8 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

Samarskite-(Y) Uranpyrochlore

Comments: Deep greenish-brown resinous crystalline massive uranpyrochlore with black samarskite-(Y).
Location: Beryl Hill, near Yinnietharra Station, Western Australia, Australia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Samarskite-(Y)

Comments: Dark, coaly black, weathered granular samarskite-(Y).
Location: Spinelli Samarskite Prospect, Glastonbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA. Scale: Picture size 4 mm.
© Paul M. Schumacher

Samarskite-(Y) Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.3834:1:0.357

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.498, b = 14.34, c = 5.12, Z = 4; V = 403.67 Den(Calc)= 4.93

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - DipyramidalH-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: P bcn

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.98(1), 2.92(0.9), 3.13(0.4),

Forms:

Mouse
Dbl Clk - Start-Stop Rotation
RMB - Cycle Display Modes
Drag1 - Manipulate Crystal
Drag2 - Resize
Keyboard
S - Stereo
I - Indicies
<space> - Start-Stop Rotation
F - Fit to Screen
M - Menu
Help on Above

Forms: [ 1 2 1] [ 1 0 1] [ 2 0 1] [ 0 1 0] [ 1 1 1] [ 1 0 0] [ 0 0 1]

Warning: this large pop-up is very compute intensive and may not work well with some computers.

Physical Properties of Samarskite-(Y)

Cleavage:

[???] Imperfect

Color:

Black, Brownish, Yellowish brown.

Density:

5.6 - 5.8, Average = 5.69

Diaphaniety:

Opaque

Fracture:

Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Habit:

Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Hardness:

5-6 - Between Apatite and Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous - Resinous

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

reddish brown

Optical Properties of Samarskite-(Y)

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.079 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.247 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2434,KPDmeas= 0.2105,KC= 0.1952

Optical Data:

Isotropic, n=2.2.

Calculated Properties of Samarskite-(Y)

Electron Density:

r_electron=5.01 gm/cc
note: r_{Samarskite-(Y)}=5.70 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.02924
Boson Index = 0.97076

Photoelectric:

PE_{Samarskite-(Y)}= 694.08 barns/electron
U=PE_{Samarskite-(Y)} x r_electron=3,475.30 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 1,202,299.46 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Samarskite-(Y) 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) 25.30 ± 6.32 grams of pure Samarskite-(Y) .
Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 100 cm box) 2529.9 ±632.47 grams of pure Samarskite-(Y) .

**Estimated Radioactivity from Samarskite-(Y)** - 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 / 6.95 cm	28,742,543	7.77E-04	1,202,299.46	395.28
100 gm / 3.22 cm	2,874,254	7.77E-05	120,229.95	39.53
10 gm / 1.50 cm	287,425	7.77E-06	12,022.99	3.95
1 gm / 6.95 mm	28,743	7.77E-07	1,202.30	0.40
0.1 gm / 3.22 mm	2,874	7.77E-08	120.23	0.04
0.01 gm / 1.50 mm	287	7.77E-09	12.02	0.00
0.001 gm / 0.69 mm	29	7.77E-10	1.20	0.00

Weight of pure Samarskite-(Y) in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 5.70 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 ( 0.72 % Th) From Sum REE Elements (14.41 % REE)

Samarskite-(Y) Classification

Dana Class:

8.1.11.1 (8)Multiple Oxides with Nb, Ta, and Ti

(8.1)where A BO4

(8.1.11)Dana Group

8.1.11.1 Samarskite-(Y) (Y,Fe,U)(Nb,Ta)5O4 P bcn 2/m 2/m 2/m

8.1.11.2 IMA2004-001! [(REEY),U,Th,Ca,Fe](Nb,Ta,Ti)O4 P 2/c 2/m

Strunz Class:

IV/D.19-60 IV - Oxides

IV/D - Oxides with metal : oxygen = 1:2 (MO2 and related compounds)

IV/D.19 - Polycrase-(Y) - Loranskite-(Y) series

IV/D.19-10 Polycrase-(Y) (Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Ti,Nb,Ta)2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.19-15 Uranopolycrase (U,Y)(Ti,Nb,Ta)2O6 P bcn 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.19-20 Yttrocrasite-(Y) (Y,Th,Ca,U)(Ti,Fe)2(O,OH)6 Unk Ortho

IV/D.19-30 Fersmite (Ca,Ce,Na)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2(O,OH,F)6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.19-40 Euxenite-(Y) (Y,Ca,Ce)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6 Pcan 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.19-60 Samarskite-(Y) (Y,Fe,U)(Nb,Ta)5O4 P bcn 2/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.19-70 Ishikawaite (U,Fe,Y,Ca)(Nb,Ta)O4(?) Unk Ortho

IV/D.19-80 Yttrocolumbite-(Y) (Y,U,Fe)(Nb,Ta)O4 Unk Ortho

IV/D.19-90 Yttrotantalite-(Y) (Y,U,Fe)(Ta,Nb)O4 I2/a 2/m

IV/D.19-100 Loranskite-(Y) (Y,Ce,Ca)ZrTaO6(?) Unk Ortho

Other Samarskite-(Y) 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 Samarskite-(Y) :
1 -Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database 2 -Athena 3 - Crocoite.com Mineral Locations 4 - EUROmin Project 5 -Google Images 6 -Google Scholar 7 -Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA) 8 -MinDAT 9 -MinMax(Deutsch) 10 -MinMax(English) 11 -Mineralienatlas (Deutsch) 12 -QUT Mineral Atlas

Search for Samarskite-(Y) using:

[ALTAVISTA] [AOL] [About.com] [All-The-Web] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [LookSmart] [MAMMA] [MSN.COM] [Netscape] [Teoma] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Samarskite-(Y) :
AA Mineral Specimens
A-Rocks Auction
Adams Minerals
B and L Minerals
Dakota Matrix
Dan Weinrich Fine Minerals
Dan Weinrich Auctions
e-Rocks Auctions
Excalibur Minerals
Exceptional Minerals
Fabre Minerals
Greenside Minerals
John Betts Fine Minerals
Masons Minerals
Mineral News
Mineral of the Month Club
MineralsWeb Fine Minerals
Minernet.it
Rockshop.cz Kalat Fine Minerals
T G Fine Minerals
Wrights Rock Shop

Translate Samarskite-(Y) Mineral Data :

Ask about Samarskite-(Y) 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 Samarskite-(Y) Specimen Label here :

Samarskite-(Y)

(Y,Fe+++,U)(Nb,Ta)5O4
Dana No: 8.1.11.1 Strunz No: IV/D.19-60
Locality:

Notes: