May 10 2013
Voglite is a monoclinic-sphenoidal mineral containing copper, oxygen, calcium, hydrogen, carbon, and uranium. The mineral is named after Josef Florian Vogl (1818–1896), an Austrian mining officer and mineralogist who studied the minerals of J´achymov, Czech Republic and was the first to describe it.
Properties of Voglite
The following are the key properties of voglite:
- Cell Data
- Space group: P21/m or P21 (probable)
- a = 25.97–26.416
- b = 23.702–24.50
- c = 10.655–10.70
- β = 103.63°-104.02°
- Z = 16
- Crystal Data
- Monoclinic
- Point group: 2/m or 2
- Crystals as rhombic tabular to scaly, to 0.5 mm, in parallel stacked aggregates and coatings
- Twinning: Lamellar, with extinction angles up to 30
- Chemical Composition
| Elements |
Content 1 |
Content 2 |
| UO3 |
- |
37.54 |
| UO2 |
37.0 |
- |
| CO2 |
26.41 |
23.11 |
| CaO |
14.09 |
14.72 |
| H2O |
13.9 |
14.19 |
| CuO |
8.40 |
10.44 |
| Total |
99.8 |
100.00 |
- Optical Properties
- Optical class: Biaxial (+)
- Pleochroism: X = deep blue to blue-green; Y = deep bluish green to bluish green; Z = pale yellow to yellow
- Orientation: X = b; Z ^ c = 33° –36°
- Dispersion: r < v, very strong
- α = 1.513–1.544
- β = 1.525–1.547
- γ = 1.542–1.564
- 2V(meas.) = 60
- Estimated Properties
| Electron density |
Bulk density (electron density)= 2.87 g/cm3
note: Specific gravity of voglite = 3.06 g/cm3 |
| Photoelectric |
PEvoglite =761.60 barns/electron
U=PEvoglite x ρelectron density= 2184.10 barns/cm3 |
| Fermion index |
Fermion index = 0.00328
Boson index = 0.99671 |
Radioactivity
|
GRapi = 2,495,820.62 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Voglite is radioactive |
How to Identify Voglite
Voglite can be identified in the field by its emerald green or bright grass green color variations. The appearance of this mineral is transparent to translucent. It is a .mineral with a pearly lustre, a pale green streak, and cleavages. It has a scaly morphology. The density of Voglite is 2.8 g/cm3.
Global Distribution
Voglite is widely distributed in the following locations:
- Czech Republic - From the Eli´a¡s mine, J´achymov (Joachimsthal),
- USA - at the White Canyon No. 1 mine, Frey Point, San Juan Co., Utah; and from a prospect near the Red Mesa Trading Post, Red Mesa district, Navajo Co., Arizona.
- France - Le Gouray and Clos Méchain
- Poland - Lower Silesia (Dolnoslaskie), Bogatyn area
Occurrence of Voglite and Useful Mineral Association
Voglite is often associated with minerals such as cuprosklodowskite, rosslerite, liebigite, brassite, zellerite, and uraninite.
References