Wodginite

Summary

Wodginite is a manganese, tin, tantalum oxide mineral with the chemical formula Mn2+(Sn,Ta)Ta2O8. It may also include significant amounts of niobium.[2][3]

Wodginite
Wodginite over cassiterite
General
CategoryOxide - Tantalate mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
Mn2+(Sn,Ta)Ta2O8
IMA symbolWdg[1]
Strunz classification4.DB.40
Dana classification08.01.08.01
Crystal systemMonoclinic
Crystal classPrismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)
Space groupC2/c (no. 15)
Identification
ColorReddish brown, dark brown to black
Crystal habitFlattened dipyramidal to prismatic crystals in radiating groups; granular, massive.
TwinningVery common as penetration twins
Cleavagenone
FractureIrregular
TenacityBrittle
Mohs scale hardness5.5
LusterSub-metallic
StreakBrown
DiaphaneityOpaque, translucent in thin fragments
Specific gravity7.19–7.36
References[2][3][4][5]

Background edit

Wodginite was first described in 1963 for an occurrence in the Wodgina pegmatite, Wodgina, Pilbara Region, Western Australia.[4]

Typical occurrence of wodginite occurs in zoned pegmatites in amphibolite. It is associated with tantalite, albite, quartz, muscovite, tapiolite, microlite and microcline.[2]

It occurs in pegmatites in a wide variety of locations. The most studied is the Tanco pegmatite in Manitoba, Canada; also in Red Lake, Ontario. It is reported from the Strickland quarry, Portland, Middlesex County, Connecticut; the Herbb #2 pegmatite, Powhatan County, Virginia; the McAllister mine, Rockford, Coosa County, Alabama; the Peerless mine, Pennington County, South Dakota. Also from Paraíba and Minas Gerais, Brazil; Krasonice, Czech Republic; Orivesi, Finland; Kalba, eastern Kazakhstan; Ankole, Uganda; Miami district, Zimbabwe and Karibib and Kohero, Namibia.[2][4]

 
The figure shows, that the columbite group (including tantalite) and wodginite can be seen as a superstructure of ixiolite.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. ^ a b c d Handbook of Mineralogy
  3. ^ a b Webmineral data
  4. ^ a b c Mindat.org
  5. ^ Ercit, T.S.; Hawthorne, F.C.; Cerny, P. (1992). "The wodginite group. I. Structural crystallography". The Canadian Mineralogist. 30: 597–611. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  6. ^ Ercit, T. S.; Hawthorne, F.; Cerny, P. (1992). "The wodginite group: I. structural crystallography". Canadian Mineralogist. 30: 597–611.
  • Nickel, E H; Rowland, J F; McAdam, R C (1963). "Wodginite - A new tin-manganese tantalate from Wodgina, Australia and Bernic lake, Manitoba" (PDF). The Canadian Mineralogist. 7: 390–402.