Vanadate minerals

Vanadinite is a mineral belonging to the apatite group of phosphates, with the chemical formula Pb5(VO4)3Cl. It is one of the main industrial ores of the metal vanadium and a minor source of lead. A dense, brittle mineral, it is usually found in the form of red hexagonal crystals. It is an uncommon mineral, formed by the oxidation of lead ore deposits such as galena. First discovered in 1801 in Mexico, vanadinite deposits have since been unearthed in South America, Europe, Africa, and North America.

thumb|Carnotite from the Happy Jack Mine, Moab, Utah

Descloizite is a rare mineral species consisting of basic lead and zinc vanadate, , crystallizing in the orthorhombic crystal system and isomorphous with olivenite. Appreciable gallium and germanium may also be incorporated into the crystal structure.

Tyuyamunite (pronounced tuh-YOO-ya-moon-ite) is a very rare uranium mineral with formula Ca(UO2)2V2O8·(5–8)H2O. It is a member of the carnotite group. It is a bright, canary-yellow color because of its high uranium content. Also, because of tyuyamunite's high uranium content, it is radioactive. It was named by Konstantin Avtonomovich Nenadkevich, in 1912, after its type locality, Tyuya-Muyun, Fergana Valley, Kyrgyzstan.

Mottramite is an orthorhombic anhydrous vanadate hydroxide mineral, PbCu(VO4)(OH), at the copper end of the descloizite subgroup. It was formerly called cuprodescloizite or psittacinite (this mineral characterized in 1868 by Frederick Augustus Genth). Duhamelite is a calcium- and bismuth-bearing variety of mottramite, typically with acicular habit.

Volborthite is a mineral containing copper and vanadium, with the formula Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O. Found originally in 1838 in the Urals, it was first named knaufite but was later changed to volborthite for Alexander von Volborth (1800–1876), a Russian paleontologist.

Margaritasite is a yellow, caesium-bearing mineral in the carnotite group. Its chemical formula is (Cs, K, H3O)2(UO2)2V2O8·H2O and its crystal system is monoclinic (space group P21/a).

Francevillite is a uranyl-group vanadate mineral in the tyuyamunite series. Its chemical formula is . Francevillite is a strongly radioactive mineral. It is typically orange, yellow or brownish yellow. It forms a series with curienite.

Pascoite is a mineral with formula Ca3V10O28·17H2O that is red-orange to yellow in color. It was discovered in the Pasco Province of Peru, for which it is named, and described in 1914.

Vanuralite is a mineral of uranium with chemical formula: Al(UO2)2(VO4)2(OH)·11(H2O). It has yellow crystals and a Mohs hardness of 2. The name comes from the composition of the mineral.

Tokyoite is a rare barium manganese vanadate mineral with the chemical formula: Ba2(Mn3+,Fe3+)OH(VO4)2. It is the manganese analogue of the iron rich gamagarite and the barium analogue of the lead vanadate, brackebuschite.

Tangeite, also known as calciovolborthite, is a calcium, copper vanadate mineral with formula: CaCu(VO4)(OH). It occurs as a secondary mineral that can be found in sandstone and also in the oxidized zones of vanadium bearing deposits.

Fingerite is a copper vanadate mineral with formula: β-Cu2V2O5. It was discovered as triclinic crystals occurring as volcanic sublimates around fumaroles in the crater of the Izalco Volcano, El Salvador.

Huemulite is a mineral with formula Na4Mg(V10O28)·24H2O that is yellow to orange in color. It was first discovered in Argentina in 1959 and described in 1966. The mineral is named for the Huemul mine in which it was discovered.

Gottlobite, ), is a mineral in the adelite group found as isolated crystals or isometric grains of orange or orange-brown color. The size of the crystals are a half millimeter in diameter and are part of the orthorhombic crystal system. Gottlobite is the vanadate end member in a solid solution formed with adelite (). Gottlobite is also part of the vanadates and arsenates group. With these characteristics, it is similar to the minerals tangeite and austinite by X-ray diffraction methods.

Alvanite (IMA symbol: Alv) is a zinc nickel aluminium vanadate mineral with the chemical formula O. It was originally discovered in the Karatau Mountains.

Magnesiopascoite is a bright orange mineral with formula Ca2Mg(V10O28)·16H2O. It was discovered in the U.S. state of Utah and formally described in 2008. The mineral's name derives from its status as the magnesium analogue of pascoite.

thumb | right | Rock containing lyonsite Lyonsite (Cu3Fe+34(VO4)6) is a rare black vanadate mineral that is opaque with a metallic lustre. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system. Lyonsite often occurs as small tabular typically well formed crystals. Lyonsite has a good cleavage and a dark gray streak.

Gurimite is a rare mineral with formula Ba3(VO4)2. It is a simple barium vanadate, one of the most simple barium minerals known. It is named after its type locality - Gurim anticline in Israel. It has formed in the rocks of the Hatrurim Formation. Gurimite's stoichiometry is similar to that of copper vanadates mcbirneyite and pseudolyonsite. An example of other barium vanadate mineral is tokyoite.

Palenzonaite is a rare vanadate mineral which is a member of the berzeliite group and is related to garnet. It was discovered in 1987 by Andrea Palenzona, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Genoa. He discovered palenzonaite at Molinello mine in Val Graveglia, Liguria Italy.

thumb | right | alt=Image depicting orange micro crystals of Schäferite. | Orange micro crystals of Schäferite. Schäferite is a rare vanadate mineral with chemical formula Ca2NaMg2[VO4]3. Schäferite is isometric, which means that it has three axes of equal length and 90° angles between the axes. Schäferite is isotropic, meaning that the velocity of light is the same no matter which direction the light passes through.

Wakefieldite () is an uncommon rare-earth element vanadate mineral. There are four main types described of wakefieldite- wakefieldite-(La), wakefieldite-(Ce), wakefieldite-(Nd), and wakefieldite-(Y), depending upon the dominant rare-earth metal ion present. Wakefieldite has a Mohs hardness ranging from 4 to 5. Wakefieldite forms crystals of tetragonal structure. In terms of crystal structure, it is the vanadate analog of the rare-earth phosphate mineral xenotime. Unlike xenotime, it is more favorable for wakefieldite to contain the lighter rare-earth elements over the heavier ones. Due to the

Wakefieldite-(Ce) () is the cerium analogue of the uncommon rare-earth element vanadate mineral Wakefieldite. It is a member of the xenotime group.

Blossite is an anhydrous copper vanadate mineral with the formula: . Blossite was named for mineralogist F. Donald Bloss of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Ziesite is a copper vanadate mineral with formula: β-Cu2V2O7. It was discovered in 1980 as monoclinic crystals occurring as volcanic sublimates around fumaroles in the crater of the Izalco Volcano, El Salvador. It is named after Emanuel George Zies (1883–1981), an American geochemist who studied Izalco in the 1930s.

Fianelite is a mineral belonging to the manganese vanadate category, found in iron-manganese ores. Named after the place where it was found, Fianel, a mine located in Val Ferrera (Ferrera valley), in the canton of Graubünden, Swiss. This mineral is found in small amounts in metamorphosed iron-manganese ores. This is the last crystallization of vanadate at the site since medaite was the last vanadate mineral being crystallized, but because of retrograde metamorphism, occurring at the place, vanadium moved into medaite veinlets, forming cross-cutting fianelite on medaite.

Aradite is a very rare mineral with formula BaCa6[(SiO4)(VO4)](VO4)2F. Aradite and its phosphorus-analogue, zadovite, were found in paralavas (rocks formed due to pyrometamorphism) of the Hatrurim Formation. Both aradite and zadovite have structures similar to that of nabimusaite. Structure of all three minerals is related to that of hatrurite.