Sharpite Mineral Data

General Sharpite Information

Chemical Formula:

Ca(UO2)6(CO3)5(OH)4•6(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 2,136.41 gm

Calcium 1.88 % Ca 2.62 % CaO

Uranium 66.85 % U 75.84 % UO₂

Hydrogen 0.75 % H 6.75 % H₂O

Carbon 2.81 % C 10.30 % CO₂

Oxygen 27.71 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 95.51 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca(UO₂)₆(CO₃)₅(OH)₄•6(H₂O)

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1938

Locality:

Shinkolobwe, Shaba, Zaire. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for R. R. Sharp (1881-1956), English engineer, prospector, and soldier, who discovered the Shikolobwe uranium deposit in 1915.

Name Pronunciation:

Sharpite

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Sharpite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =1.4069:1:0.287

Cell Dimensions:

a = 21.99, b = 15.63, c = 4.487, Z = 2; V = 1,542.20 Den(Calc)= 4.60

Crystal System:

OrthorhombicSpace Group: Unk

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 4.497(1), 3.91(0.48), 7.82(0.4),

Physical Properties of Sharpite

Color:

Greenish yellow, Olive green, Grayish white.

Density:

4.45

Habit:

Acicular - Occurs as needle-like crystals.

Habit:

Encrustations - Forms crust-like aggregates on matrix.

Habit:

Radial - Crystals radiate from a center without producing stellar forms (e.g. stibnite)

Hardness:

2.5 - Finger Nail

Optical Properties of Sharpite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.206 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.167 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1471,KPDmeas= 0.152,KC= 0.126
Ncalc = 1.56 - 1.58

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.633, g=1.72, bire=0.0870

Pleochroism (x):

none.

Pleochroism (y):

none.

Pleochroism (z):

none.

Calculated Properties of Sharpite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.94 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Sharpite =4.60 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0052818142
Boson Index = 0.9947181858

Photoelectric:

PE_Sharpite=1,772.84 barns/electron
U=PE_Sharpite x r_electron=6,977.82 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 4,875,522.45 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Sharpite per GRapi unit = 205.11 (PPB)

Sharpite 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) 6.24 ± 1.56 grams of pure Sharpite .
Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 100 cm box) 623.86 ±155.97 grams of pure Sharpite .

**Estimated Radioactivity from Sharpite** - very 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 / 7.46 cm	119,660,033	3.23E-03	4,875,522.45	1,602.91
100 gm / 3.46 cm	11,966,003	3.23E-04	487,552.25	160.29
10 gm / 1.61 cm	1,196,600	3.23E-05	48,755.22	16.03
1 gm / 7.46 mm	119,660	3.23E-06	4,875.52	1.60
0.1 gm / 3.46 mm	11,966	3.23E-07	487.55	0.16
0.01 gm / 1.61 mm	1,197	3.23E-08	48.76	0.02
0.001 gm / 0.75 mm	120	3.23E-09	4.88	0.00

Weight of pure Sharpite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 4.60 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

Sharpite Classification

Dana Class:

16b.07.10.01 (16b)Carbonates - Hydroxyl or Halogen

(16b.07)Dana Type

(16b.07.10)Dana Group

16b.07.10.01 Sharpite Ca(UO2)6(CO3)5(OH)4•6(H2O) Unk Ortho

Strunz Class:

05.EA.35 05 - CARBONATES (NITRATES)

05.E - Uranyl Carbonates

05.EA -UO2:CO3 > 1:1

05.EA.35 Sharpite Ca(UO2)6(CO3)5(OH)4•6(H2O) Unk Ortho

Other Sharpite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Dana8) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Sharpite :
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

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Ask about Sharpite here :
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Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Sharpite Specimen Label here :

Sharpite

Ca(UO2)6(CO3)5(OH)4•6(H2O)
Dana No: 16b.07.10.01 Strunz No: 05.EA.35
Locality:

Notes: