Caminite Mineral Data

General Caminite Information

Chemical Formula:

Mg7(SO4)5(OH)4•(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 736.50 gm

Magnesium 23.10 % Mg 38.31 % MgO

Hydrogen 0.82 % H 7.34 % H₂O

Sulfur 21.77 % S 54.35 % SO₃

Oxygen 54.31 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Mg₇(SO₄)₅(OH)₄•(H₂O)

Environment:

Formed by the reaction of sea water with hydrothermal fluids in a midocean ridge submarine chimney vent. Unstable below 130 deg C., below which it hydrates and redissolves in sea wa ter.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1983

Locality:

Along the East Pacific Rise at 21deg N Lat. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named from the Latin caminus, for chimney, as the mineral occurs in undersea black-smoker chimneys.

Synonym:

ICSD 66174

PDF 39-359

Caminite Image

Images:

Caminite

Comments: White crystalline massive caminite.
Location: Nepian Deposit, East Siberian Salt Basin, Siberia, Russia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Caminite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:2.47909

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.239, c = 12.988, Z = 1; V = 356.48 Den(Calc)= 3.43

Crystal System:

Tetragonal - Ditetragonal DipyramidalH-M Symbol (4/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: I 4₁/amd

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.345(1), 3.22(0.8), 1.871(0.5),

Physical Properties of Caminite

Color:

Colorless, White.

Density:

2.58 - 2.79, Average = 2.68

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Hardness:

2.5 - Finger Nail

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Caminite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.004 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.214 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1554,KPDmeas= 0.1985,KC= 0.1978
Ncalc = 1.51 - 1.68

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.532, w=1.534, bire=0.0020.

Calculated Properties of Caminite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.70 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Caminite =2.69 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.02
Boson Index = 0.98

Photoelectric:

PE_Caminite= 1.85 barns/electron
U=PE_Caminite x rElectron Density= 4.98 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Caminite is Not Radioactive

Caminite Classification

Dana Class:

31.10.09.01 (31)Hydrated Sulfates Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen

(31.10)miscellaneous

(31.10.09)Dana Group

31.10.09.01 Caminite Mg7(SO4)5(OH)4•(H2O) I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

07.BB.05 07 - SULFATES (SELENATES, TELLURATES)

07.B - Sulfates (selenates, etc.) with Additional Anions, without H2O

07.BB -With medium-sized cations

07.BB.05 Caminite Mg7(SO4)5(OH)4•(H2O) I 4₁/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m

Other Caminite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic5) PHYS. PROP.(Am.Min.,Vol.71,p819-825,1986) OPTIC PROP.(Am.Min.,Vol.71,p819-825,1986)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Caminite :
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

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

Caminite

Mg7(SO4)5(OH)4•(H2O)
Dana No: 31.10.09.01 Strunz No: 07.BB.05
Locality:

Notes: