Editorial Feature

Cesplumtantite - Occurrence, Properties, and Distribution

Cesplumtantite is a tetragonal, colorless mineral, containing tin, tantalum, sodium, oxygen, niobium, lead, cesium, calcium, and antimony.

The mineral was first discovered in 1986 from Manono in Shaba, Zaire. It was named after the presence of tantalum, plumium (lead), and cesium in its composition.

Properties of Cesplumtantite

The following are the key properties of Cesplumtantite:

  • Cell Data
    • Space Group: n.d
    • a = 13.552(8)
    • c = 6.445(5)
    • Z = 2

  • Crystal Data
    • Tetragonal
    • Point Group: n.d
    • As veinlets and elongated aggregates, to 0.3mm
    • Twinning: Polysynthetic, complex, observed microscopically
    • X-ray Powder Pattern: 3.054 (10), 1.869 (7), 1.593 (7), 6.11 (5), 3.19 (5), 2.037 (5b), 1.181 (5)

  • Chemical Composition
    Elements Content 1
    Ta2O5 63.85
    PbO 20.24
    Cs2O 5.37
    Nb2O5 3.24
    Sb2O3 2.88
    SnO2 1.60
    SnO 1.49
    CaO 0.83
    Na2O 0.71
    Total 100.21

  • Optical Properties
    • Optical Class: Uniaxial
    • Anisotropism: Strong
    • Bireflectance: Weak
    • R1–R2: (476) 18.2–17.1, (553) 17.3–16.5, (589) 17.1–16.5, (656) 15.6–15.3

  • Estimated Properties
    Electron density Bulk density (electron density) = 5.85 g/cm3
    note: Specific gravity of Cesplumtantite = 6.96 g/cm3
    Photoelectric PECesplumtantite = 1023.11 barns/electron
    U = PECesplumtantite x ρ Electron density = 5985.13 barns/cm3
    Fermion index Fermion index = 0.04
    Boson index = 0.96
    Radioactivity
    Cesplumtantite is not radioactive

How to Identify Cesplumtantite

Cesplumtantite is a colorless, transparent mineral, with white streak, and adamantine luster.

It can be formed as microscopic crystals, and its hardness is 7.

Global Distribution

Cesplumtantite is widely distributed in Manono pegmatite, Katanga Province, Congo.

Occurrence of Cesplumtantite and Useful Mineral Association

Cesplumtantite occurs in veinlets in a museum specimen from a granite pegmatite.

It is closely associated with thoreaulite, microlite, calciotantite, cassiterite, and lithiotantite.

References

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