May 12 2014
Baricite was named by Bozidar Darko Sturman and Joseph A. Mandarino in 1976. They named it in honor of Professor Ljudevit Baric, who was a Croatian mineralogist working at the University of Zagreb.
Baricite forms a dimorphous series with bobierrite, and belongs to the Vivianite group of minerals.
Properties of Baricite
The following are the key properties of baricite:
- Cell Data
- Space Group : C2/m
- a = 10.075
- b = 13.416 - 13.434
- c = 4.662 - 4.670
- β = 104°22’ - 104°52’
- Z = 2
- Crystal Data
- Monoclinic
- Point Group: 2/m
- As thick plates parallel to {010}, to 12cm
- X-ray Powder Pattern: 6.71 (100), 2.699 (70), 2.956 (60), 2.526 (50), 3.196 (40), 2.418 (35), 2.217 (30)
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
Content 3 |
| P2O5 |
31.28 |
31.45 |
31.25 |
| Fe2O3 |
2.77 |
0.20 |
- |
| FeO |
19.90 |
15.10 |
23.72 |
| MnO |
- |
2.95 |
- |
| MgO |
15.36 |
16.40 |
13.31 |
| H2O |
28.96 |
30.75 |
31.72 |
| Total |
[98.27] |
[96.85] |
100.00 |
- Optical Properties
- Translucent
- Color: colorless to pale blue, varies with iron oxidation
- Streak: white to pale blue, darkening after several days
- Luster: Vitreous to pearly on {010}
- Optical Class: Biaxial (+)
- Pleochroism: X = blue; Y = Z = Colorless
- Orientation: X = b; Z ^ c = 28°-30°
- Dispersion: r < v, weak
- α = 1.547 - 1.554; β = 1.553 - 1.564; γ = 1.582 - 1.595
- 2V(meas) = 55°-60°; 2V(calc) = 60°
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density) = 2.48 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of baricite = 2.42 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEBaricite = 3.82 barns/electron
U=PEBaricite x ρ electron density= 9.47 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.01
Boson index = 0.99 |
Radioactivity
|
Baricite is not radioactive
|
How to Identify Baricite
The color of baricite varies from colorless to pale blue, according to the iron oxidation. It is flexible in thin flakes.
Global Distribution
Baricite is found in the Big Fish River in the Rapid Creek area of Yukon territory, Canada, and in the Malborough Province of New Zealand.
Occurrence of Baricite and Useful Mineral Association
Baricite occurs in fracture fillings in sideritic iron formation; as a folded ribbon-like mass in sediment from a raised beach.
It is associated with minerals like siderite, vivanite, lazulite, whiteite, collin site, childrenite, and quartz.
References