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Becquerelite Billietite & Metastudtite

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RSL785649

Becquerelite Billietite & Metastudtite

Type Locality

Description Tabs

Description
Locality: 
Shinkolobwe Mine, Shinkolobwe, Kambove, Haut-Katanga, DR Congo
Class: 
Crystals on Matrix
Size Range: 
Miniature (4.5-7 cm)
Size: 
4.5 × 4.5 × 3.8 cm
Largest Crystal: 
0.20cm
Description

From the type locality for the three species comes this exceptional specimen. It shows cavities with prismatic to tabular, transparent, orange crystals of this mineral named in honor of A. H. Becquerel, father of studies on radioactivity. Crystals of this size (up to 2 mm) are not easy to find on the market. They are accompanied by billietite, like tabular crystals between yellow to orange, and metastudtite like yellow needles. 

Mineral Data
What's on the rock

Becquerelite

Formula: 
Ca(UO2)6O4(OH)6·8H2O
Strunz: 
4.GB.10
Crystal System: 
Orthorhombic
Hardness: 
2.5
Streak: 
Yellow
Type Locality: 
Shinkolobwe Mine (Kasolo Mine), Shinkolobwe, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre)

Billietite

Formula: 
Ba(UO2)6O4(OH)6·4-8H2O
Strunz: 
4.GB.10
Crystal System: 
Orthorhombic
Hardness: 
0.0
Type Locality: 
Shinkolobwe Mine (Kasolo Mine), Shinkolobwe, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre)

Metastudtite

Formula: 
UO4·2H2O
Strunz: 
4.GA.15
Hardness: 
0.0
Type Locality: 
Shinkolobwe Mine (Kasolo Mine), Shinkolobwe, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre)