Thorite Mineral Data

Thorite Mineral Data
Search Webmineral :
   
Home Crystal jmol jPOWD Chem X Ray Dana Strunz Properties A to Z Images Share
      News Help About


General Thorite Information

Help on Chemical Formula: Chemical Formula: ThSiO4
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 324.12 gm
   Thorium  71.59 %  Th   81.46 % ThO2
   Silicon   8.67 %  Si   18.54 % SiO2
   Oxygen   19.74 %  O
           ______        ______ 
           100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: Th(SiO4)
Help on Environment: Environment: Augite-syenite rocks.
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1829
Help on Locality: Locality: Island of Lovo, Norway Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: From the presence of the element Thorium, a highly radioactive material.
Help on Name Pronunciation: Name Pronunciation: Thorite Say THORITE
Help on Synonym: Synonym: ICSD 1615
  Orangite
  PDF 11-419
 

Thorite Image

Click Here for Larger Thorite Image in a New Browser Window Images:
Click Here for Larger Thorite Image

Thorite

Comments: Brown crude crystal of thorite var. uranothorite with still visible termination on both ends. Mildly radioactive.
Location: Kemp Uranium Mine, Cheddar, Cardiff Township, Haliburton Co., Ontario, Canada. Scale: 15x14x13 mm.
© John Betts - Fine Minerals
Click Here for Larger Thorite Image in a New Browser Window Images:
Click Here for Larger Thorite Image

Thorite

Comments: Several small, black cubic crystals of thorite.
Location: Balangoda, Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa province, Sri Lanka. Scale: Picture size 0.8 cm.
© Paul M. Schumacher

Thorite Crystallography
Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:c = 1:0.8845
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 7.117, c = 6.295, Z = 4; V = 318.85 Den(Calc)= 6.75
Help on Crystal System: 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/Io): 3.53(1), 4.69(0.9), 2.65(0.8),
Click Here for Large Thorite Structure Window Crystal Structure:

Mouse
drag1 - LMB Manipulate Structure
drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
Keyboard
S - Stereo Pair on/off
H - Help Screen
I - Data Info
A - Atoms On/Off
P - Polyhedra On/Off
B - Bonds On/Off
 Help on Above


Fuchs L H , Gebert E , American Mineralogist , 43 (1958) p.243-248, X-ray studies of synthetic coffinite, thorite and uranothorites

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Thorite
[1]
 

Physical Properties of Thorite

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: {110} Poor
Help on Color: Color: Brownish yellow, Brownish black, Yellow, Dark brown, Orange.
Help on Density: Density: 4 - 6.7, Average = 5.35
Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity: Subtransparent to subtranslucent
Help on Fracture: Fracture: Conchoidal - Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by smoothly curving surfaces, (e.g. quartz).
Help on Habit: Habit: Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.
Help on Habit: Habit: Massive - Granular - Common texture observed in granite and other igneous rock.
Help on Habit: Habit: Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 5 - Apatite
Help on Luminescence: Luminescence: Non-fluorescent.
Help on Luster: Luster: Resinous
Help on Magnetism: Magnetism: Nonmagnetic
Help on Streak: Streak: light brown
 

Optical Properties of Thorite

Help on Dichroism (e): Dichroism (e): none.
Help on Dichroism (w): Dichroism (w): none.
Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= 0.136 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.315 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1196,KPDmeas= 0.1509,KC= 0.1746
Ncalc = 1.7 - 2.18
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Uniaxial (-), e=1.78-1.82, w=1.79-1.84, bire=0.0100-0.0200.
 

Calculated Properties of Thorite

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density: Bulk Density (Electron Density)=4.49 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Thorite =5.35 gm/cc.
Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index: Fermion Index = 0.0041421041
Boson Index = 0.9958578959
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric: PEThorite =1,794.84 barns/electron
U=PEThorite x relectron=8,058.25 barns/cc.
Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity:

GRapi = 1,281,657.69 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Thorite per GRapi unit = 780.24 (PPB)

Thorite 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) 23.73 ± 5.93 grams of pure Thorite .
Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 100 cm box) 2373.2 ±593.31 grams of pure Thorite .

Estimated Radioactivity from Thorite - 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 / 7.09 cm 32,072,283 8.67E-04 1,281,657.69 421.37
100 gm / 3.29 cm 3,207,228 8.67E-05 128,165.77 42.14
10 gm / 1.53 cm 320,723 8.67E-06 12,816.58 4.21
1 gm / 7.09 mm 32,072 8.67E-07 1,281.66 0.42
0.1 gm / 3.29 mm 3,207 8.67E-08 128.17 0.04
0.01 gm / 1.53 mm 321 8.67E-09 12.82 0.00
0.001 gm / 0.71 mm 32 8.67E-10 1.28 0.00

Weight of pure Thorite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 5.35 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
 

Thorite Classification
Help on Dana Class: Dana Class: 51.05.02.03 (51)Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups Only
  (51.05)with cations in >[6] coordination
  (51.05.02)Zircon group
 
51.05.02.01 Zircon ZrSiO4 I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
51.05.02.02 Hafnon HfSiO4 I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
51.05.02.03 Thorite ThSiO4 I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
51.05.02.04 Coffinite U(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
51.05.02.05 Thorogummite Th(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
51.05.02.06 IMA2008-035! CeSiO4 I 41/amd 4mm
Help on Strunz Class: Strunz Class: 09.AD.30 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)
  09.A - Nesosilicates
  09.AD -Nesosilicates without additional anions;
 
09.AD.30 Coffinite U(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
09.AD.30 Hafnon HfSiO4 I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
09.AD.30 Thorite ThSiO4 I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
09.AD.30 Thorogummite Th(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
09.AD.30 Zircon ZrSiO4 I 41/amd 4/m 2/m 2/m
 
09.AD.30 IMA2008-035! CeSiO4 I 41/amd 4mm
 

Other Thorite Information
Help on References: References: NAME( Mason68) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Mason68)
Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Thorite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
5 - Athena
6 - CalTech Mineral Spectroscopy
7 - EUROmin Project
8 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
9 - Franklin Minerals(Dunn)
10 - Franklin Minerals(Palache)
11 - GeoScienceWorld
12 - Google Images
13 - Google Scholar
14 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
15 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
16 - MinDAT
17 - Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
18 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
19 - Online Mineral Museum
20 - QUT Mineral Atlas
21 - Ruff.Info
22 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
23 - University of Colorado - Mineral Structure Data
24 - Uranium Minerals
25 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Thorite using:

Google
 
Web webmineral.com
[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Thorite :

A Bijoux Google Search for Thorite
Adam's Minerals Google Search for Thorite
Cape Minerals Google Search for Thorite
Dakota Matrix Minerals Google Search for Thorite
Excalibur Mineral Corp. Google Search for Thorite
Exceptional Minerals Google Search for Thorite
John Betts Fine Minerals Search for Thorite
McDougall Minerals Google Search for Thorite
Mineral News Website Link
Rock and Mineral Shows Google Search for Thorite
Weinrich Minerals, Inc. Google Search for Thorite

Ask about Thorite 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 Espaņol

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

Thorite

ThSiO4
Dana No: 51.05.02.03 Strunz No: 09.AD.30
Locality:

 

Notes: