Yuksporite
| Yuksporite | |
|---|---|
Yuksporite from the Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia (4 cm across) | |
| General | |
| Category | Inosilicates |
| Formula | see text |
| IMA symbol | Yks |
| Strunz classification | 9.DG.95 |
| Dana classification | 66.3.1.5 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Space group | P2/m |
| Identification | |
| Formula mass | 2,546.97 g/mol |
| Color | Brownish pink to rose-red to straw-yellow |
| Crystal habit | Fibrous, scaly or lamellar |
| Mohs scale hardness | 4+1⁄2 to 5 |
| Luster | Vitreous, silky |
| Streak | Nearly white to white |
| Diaphaneity | Semitransparent |
| Specific gravity | 3.05 |
| Optical properties | Biaxial |
| Refractive index | nα = 1.644, nγ = 1.660 |
| Pleochroism | X pale rose-yellow, Y, Z rose-yellow |
| Other characteristics | Barely detectable radioactivity |
| References | |
Yuksporite is a rare inosilicate mineral with double width, unbranched chains, and the complicated chemical formula K4(Ca,Na)14Sr2Mn(Ti,Nb)4(O,OH)4(Si6O17)2(Si2O7)3(H2O,OH)3. It contains the relatively rare elements strontium, titanium and niobium, as well as the commoner metallic elements potassium, calcium, sodium and manganese. As with all silicates, it contains groups of linked silicon and oxygen atoms, as well as some associated water molecules.
Yuksporite is a member of the umbite group that has just two known members, umbite, K2ZrSi>3O9·H2O, and yuksporite. It was first reported in 1922, from nepheline syenite occurrences in the Kola Peninsula, Russia, and named by Alexander Fersman for the locality, near Mount Yukspor.