Wardsmithite Mineral Data

General Wardsmithite Information

Chemical Formula:

Ca5MgB24O42•30(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 1,696.57 gm

Calcium 11.81 % Ca 16.53 % CaO

Magnesium 1.43 % Mg 2.38 % MgO

Boron 15.29 % B 49.24 % B₂O₃

Hydrogen 3.56 % H 31.86 % H₂O

Oxygen 67.90 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca₅MgB₂₄O₄₂•30(H₂O)

Environment:

Continental borate-bearing evaporite deposits.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1970

Locality:

Furnace Creek district, Inyo County, and Boron, Kern County, California, USA Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Ward C. Smith (1906-), U. S. Geologist.

Name Pronunciation:

Wardsmithite + Pronunciation

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Wardsmithite Crystallography

Crystal System:

HexagonalSpace Group: Unk

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 13.5(1), 12.3(0.62), 6.12(0.55),3.36(0.5), 4.72(0.4), 2.74(0.3), 6.73(0.2), 7.43(0.2),

Physical Properties of Wardsmithite

Cleavage:

{0001} Good

Color:

Colorless, White.

Density:

1.88

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Habit:

Microscopic Crystals - Crystals visible only with microscopes.

Habit:

Nodular - Tuberose forms having irregular protuberances over the surface.

Hardness:

2.5 - Finger Nail

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Wardsmithite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.013 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
KPDmeas= 0.2569,KC= 0.2536
Ncalc = 1.48

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.476, w=1.49, bire=0.0140.

Calculated Properties of Wardsmithite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=1.92 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Wardsmithite =1.88 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.03
Boson Index = 0.97

Photoelectric:

PE_Wardsmithite= 1.72 barns/electron
U=PE_Wardsmithite x rElectron Density= 3.32 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Wardsmithite Classification

Dana Class:

26.07.07.01 (26)Hydrated Borates Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen

(26.07)Dana Type

(26.07.07)Dana Group

26.07.07.01 Wardsmithite Ca5MgB24O42•30(H2O) Unk Hex

Strunz Class:

06.HA.25 06 - BORATES

06.H - Unclassified Borates

06.HA -Unclassified borates

06.HA.25 Wardsmithite Ca5MgB24O42•30(H2O) Unk Hex

Other Wardsmithite Information

References:

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

See Also:

Links to other databases for Wardsmithite :
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 Wardsmithite Specimen Label here :

Wardsmithite

Ca5MgB24O42•30(H2O)
Dana No: 26.07.07.01 Strunz No: 06.HA.25
Locality:

Notes: