Sabinaite

• IMA 1978-071

Sabinait is a very rarely occurring mineral from the mineral class of " carbonates and nitrates " (formerly known as carbonates, nitrates and borates, see Classification ). It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system with the composition Na4Zr2Ti [O | CO3 ] 4, is so chemically seen a sodium - zirconium -titanium carbonate.

Sabinait is colorless and transparent, and developed only small, pseudo-hexagonal crystals of a few tenths of a millimeter in diameter with leafy until flaky habit and glass-like sheen on the surfaces. He usually can be found in the form of compact, calcareous and silky shimmering mineral aggregates and powdery crusts.

Etymology and history

Sabinait was first discovered in the quarry " Francon " near Montreal in Canada and described in 1980 by John Leslie Jambor, B. Darko Sturman and GC Weatherly, which is the mineral after the mineralogist Ann Phyllis Sabina Stenson ( born 1930 ) named. It allowed by their collection of sufficient quantities of the mineral whose precise characterization.

Classification

In the now outdated but still in use 8th edition of the mineral classification by Strunz the Sabinait belonged to common mineral class of " carbonates, nitrates and borates " and then to the Department of " water clear carbonates with foreign anions ", where he is the only member of the unnamed group V/C.05 formed.

The 9th edition used since 2001 and valid by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) of the Strunz'schen Mineral classification assigns the Sabinait in the newly defined class of " carbonates and nitrates " ( here, the borates form a separate class), but there also the department of a " carbonates with other anions, without H2O". This is also further divided according to the predominant cations in the compound, so that the mineral according to its composition in the subdivision is " with alkalis, etc. " to find where it forms the unnamed group 5.BB.20 the only member.

The mainly common in English-speaking classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the Sabinait as the outdated Strunz'sche systematics in the common class of " carbonates, nitrates and borates " and there in the department of " Carbonate - hydroxyl or halogen" one. Here he is the only member of the unnamed group 16a.05.04 within the subdivision - to find " carbonates hydroxyl or halogen with different formulas ."

Education and Locations

Sabinait forms in dawsonithaltigen Silicocarbonatiten and in cavities of sodalite syenites. Accompanying minerals can occur in addition to dawsonite and sodalite, you still aegirine, albite, analcime, ankerite, barite, calcite, dolomite, galena, Ilmenorutil, cryolite, microcline, Pectolite, pyrite, quartz, siderite and Weloganit.

Apart from its type locality quarry " Francon " in Montreal so far (as of 2013) known only to the quarry " Poudrette " at Mont Saint- Hilaire in Canada as a location for Sabinait.

Crystal structure

Sabinait crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2 / c ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 15) with the lattice parameters a = 10.20 Å; b = 6.62 Å; c = 17.96 Å and β = 94.1 °, and four formula units per unit cell.