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saléeite
EntityQ411561· pop 11· linked from 9 articles

Also known as saleeite

Saleeite is a secondary uranium mineral occurring in the oxidized zones of uranium deposits, or as disseminations in carnotite-bearing sandstones. Its chemical formula is Mg(UO2)2(PO4)2·10(H2O).

Key facts

Mineral.system
Monoclinic
Mineral.name
Saleeite
Mineral.category
Phosphate minerals
Mineral.image
Saléeite - La Commanderie mine, Le Temple, Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes, France.jpg
Mineral.imagesize
260px
Mineral.formula
Mg(UO2)2(PO4)2·10(H2O)
Mineral.strunz
08.EB.05
Mineral.symmetry
Monoclinic 2/m
Mineral.unit cell
a = 6.951(3) Å, b = 19.947(8) Å, c = 9.896(4) Å, β = 135.17(2)°; Z = 2
Mineral.color
Lemon-yellow, straw-yellow, greenish yellow
Mineral.habit
Crystals are square plates, composite, flattened on {001}, with {001}, {100}, {120}, {012} (pseudotetragonal indices), to 2.5 cm; commonly in subparallel lamellar aggregates.
Mineral.cleavage
On {001}, perfect; on {010}, {110}, indistinct
Mineral.luster
Adamantine to waxy
Mineral.diaphaneity
Transparent to opaque
Mineral.gravity
3.27
Mineral.opticalprop
Biaxial (−) typically nearly uniaxial
Mineral.refractive
nα = 1.554 – 1.559 nβ = 1.570 – 1.582 nγ = 1.571 – 1.585
Mineral.birefringence
δ = 0.027

via Wikipedia infobox

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

1 sections
Contents
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{{infobox mineral | name = Saleeite | category = Phosphate minerals | boxwidth = | image = Saléeite - La Commanderie mine, Le Temple, Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes, France.jpg | imagesize = 260px | alt = | caption = | formula = Mg(UO2)2(PO4)2·10(H2O) | strunz = 08.EB.05 | dana = | symmetry = Monoclinic 2/m | unit cell = a = 6.951(3) Å, b = 19.947(8) Å, c = 9.896(4) Å, β = 135.17(2)°; Z = 2 | molweight = | color = Lemon-yellow, straw-yellow, greenish yellow | colour = | habit = Crystals are square plates, composite, flattened on {001}, with {001}, {100}, {120}, {012} (pseudotetragonal indices), to 2.5 cm; commonly in subparallel lamellar aggregates. | system = Monoclinic | twinning = | cleavage = On {001}, perfect; on {010}, {110}, indistinct | fracture = | tenacity = | mohs = | luster = Adamantine to waxy | streak = | diaphaneity = Transparent to opaque | gravity = 3.27 | density = | polish = | opticalprop = Biaxial (−) typically nearly uniaxial | refractive = nα = 1.554 – 1.559 nβ = 1.570 – 1.582 nγ = 1.571 – 1.585 | birefringence = δ = 0.027 | pleochroism = X = colorless; Z = pale greenish yellow | 2V = 2V(meas.) = 0–61° | dispersion = | extinction = | length fast/slow = | fluorescence= Fluoresces bright lemon-yellow under LW UV, pale yellow under SW UV | absorption = | melt = | fusibility = | diagnostic = | solubility = | other = 25px Radioactive | alteration = | references = }} Saleeite is a secondary uranium mineral occurring in the oxidized zones of uranium deposits, or as disseminations in carnotite-bearing sandstones. Its chemical formula is Mg(UO2)2(PO4)2·10(H2O).

It was discovered in 1932 at Shinkolobwe, Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is named for Belgian mineralogist Achille Salée (1883–1932), Professor at Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium. It was later determined that the Katanga mineral was meta-saleeite Mg(UO2)2(PO4)2·8(H2O) and the type locality was assigned to the Weißer Hirsch Mine, Neustädtel, Schneeberg District, Ore Mountains, Saxony, Germany.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “saléeite” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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