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Gainesite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Gainesite
Richard V. Gaines
Formula:
Na(Na,K)(Be,Li)Zr2(PO4)4 · 1.5-2H2O
Colour:
Lavender to pale purple
Lustre:
Sub-Adamantine, Vitreous
Hardness:
4
Specific Gravity:
2.94
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Member of:
Name:
Named in 1983 by Paul Brian Moore, Takaharu Araki, Ian M. Steele, George H. Swihart and Anthony Robert Kampf in honour of Richard Venable Gaines (25 January 1917, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA - 21 January 1999, Earlysville, Virginia, USA), economic geologist with Cabot Minerals and others, mineralogist, and collector of pegmatite, especially Be minerals. He was also an expert in tellurium minerals and named a number of mineral species. He was senior author of the 8th edition of Dana's System of Mineralogy.
Type Locality:
Minute steeply pyramidal, pale lilac to slightly blue purple crystals, usually about 0.1-0.2 mm.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
1635
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:1635:9
Similar Names
| Canasite | A valid IMA mineral species | K3Na3Ca5Si12O30(OH)4 |
| Kainosite-(Y) | A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered | Ca2Y2(SiO3)4(CO3) · H2O |
| Kansite (of Meyer et al.) | A synonym of Mackinawite |
IMA Classification of Gainesite
Classification of Gainesite
8.CA.20
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
C : Phosphates without additional anions, with H2O
A : With small and large/medium cations
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
C : Phosphates without additional anions, with H2O
A : With small and large/medium cations
40.5.4.1
40 : HYDRATED NORMAL PHOSPHATES,ARSENATES AND VANADATES
5 : AXO4·xH2O
40 : HYDRATED NORMAL PHOSPHATES,ARSENATES AND VANADATES
5 : AXO4·xH2O
19.3.11
19 : Phosphates
3 : Phosphates of Be and Mg
19 : Phosphates
3 : Phosphates of Be and Mg
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Gns | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Pronunciation of Gainesite
Pronunciation:
| Play | Recorded by | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Jolyon Ralph | United Kingdom |
Physical Properties of Gainesite
Sub-Adamantine, Vitreous
Transparency:
Transparent
Comment:
Very bright
Colour:
Lavender to pale purple
Comment:
Not a blue mineral.
Streak:
White
Hardness:
4 on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
None Observed
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven, Sub-Conchoidal
Density:
2.94 g/cm3 (Measured) 2.84 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Gainesite
Type:
Uniaxial (+)
RI values:
nω = 1.618 nε = 1.63
Birefringence:
0.045
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.012
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized uniaxial interference figure - the conoscopic
(convergent-light, Bertrand-lens-in) view, for a grain cut with the optic axis
centred and vertical. The coloured rings are isochromatics, computed with the
same physics as the Michel-Lévy bar above; the dark cross is the isogyre.
For a genuinely uniaxial mineral viewed this way, that cross stays perfectly stationary if you rotate the stage - unlike a biaxial mineral, where it splits apart on rotation. That invariance is itself the standard diagnostic test for telling uniaxial and biaxial minerals apart at the microscope.
For a genuinely uniaxial mineral viewed this way, that cross stays perfectly stationary if you rotate the stage - unlike a biaxial mineral, where it splits apart on rotation. That invariance is itself the standard diagnostic test for telling uniaxial and biaxial minerals apart at the microscope.
Optical Extinction:
Parallel
Pleochroism:
Non-pleochroic
Chemistry of Gainesite
Mindat Formula:
Na(Na,K)(Be,Li)Zr2(PO4)4 · 1.5-2H2O
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Gainesite
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Class (H-M):
4mm - Ditetragonal Pyramidal
Space Group:
I41md
Cell Parameters:
a = 6.567 Å, c = 17.119 Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 2.607
Unit Cell V:
738.27 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
2
Morphology:
Simple tetragonal bipyramids showing forms {111} and {001}.
Crystal Structure
Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Show
Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
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Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
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CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0000922 | Gainesite | Moore P B, Araki T, Steele I M, Swihart G H, Kampf A R (1983) Gainesite, sodium zirconium beryllophosphate: A new mineral and its crystal structure American Mineralogist 68 1022-1028 |  | 1983 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 6.07 Å | (100) |
| 4.24 Å | (30) |
| 3.27 Å | (90) |
| 3.02 Å | (50) |
| 2.88 Å | (40) |
| 2.17 Å | (30) |
| 2.01 Å | (30) |
| 1.673 Å | (30) |
Comments:
35-604
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Near-surface Processes | |
| 22 : Hydration and low-? subsurface aqueous alteration (see also #23) |
Type Occurrence of Gainesite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Well-formed, interlocking, tetragonal bipyramidal crystals of simple habit up to 0.5 mm in greatest dimension.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, number 119133.
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, number 114848, 137843.
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, number 114848, 137843.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Late stage granite pegmatite mineralization.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Gainesite
Other Language Names for Gainesite
Relationship of Gainesite to other Species
Member of:
Other Members of Gainesite Group:
| Mccrillisite | NaCs(Be,Li)Zr2(PO4)4 · 1-2H2O | Tet. 4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) : I41/amd |
| Selwynite | NaK(Be,Al)Zr2(PO4)4 · 2H2O | Tet. 4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) : I41/amd |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 8.CA. | Apexite | NaMg(PO4) · 9H2O |
| 8.CA. | Brandãoite | BeAl2(PO4)2(OH)2(H2O)5 |
| 8.CA. | Davidlloydite | Zn3(AsO4)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.05 | Parafransoletite | Ca3Be2(PO4)2(PO3OH)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.05 | Fransoletite | Ca3Be2(PO4)2(PO3OH)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.10 | Ehrleite | Ca4Be3Zn2(PO4)6 · 9H2O |
| 8.CA.15 | Faheyite | Be2Mn2+Fe3+2(PO4)4 · 6H2O |
| 8.CA.20 | Mccrillisite | NaCs(Be,Li)Zr2(PO4)4 · 1-2H2O |
| 8.CA.20 | Selwynite | NaK(Be,Al)Zr2(PO4)4 · 2H2O |
| 8.CA.25 | Pahasapaite | Li8(Ca,Li,K)10.5Be24(PO4)24 · 38H2O |
| 8.CA.30 | Nizamoffite | Mn2+Zn2(PO4)2(H2O)4 |
| 8.CA.30 | Arsenohopeite | Zn3(AsO4)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.30 | Hopeite | ZnZn2(PO4)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.35 | Warikahnite | Zn3(AsO4)2 · 2H2O |
| 8.CA.40 | Phosphophyllite | Zn2Fe 2+(PO4)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.42 | Steinmetzite | Zn2Fe3+(PO4)2(OH) · 3H2O |
| 8.CA.45 | Parascholzite | CaZn2(PO4)2 · 2H2O |
| 8.CA.45 | Scholzite | CaZn2(PO4)2 · 2H2O |
| 8.CA.50 | Keyite | Cu2+3Zn4Cd2(AsO4)6 · 2H2O |
| 8.CA.55 | Pushcharovskite | K0.6Cu18[AsO2(OH)2]4[AsO3OH]10(AsO4)(OH)9.6 · 18.6H2O |
| 8.CA.60 | Prosperite | Ca2Zn4(AsO4)4 · H2O |
| 8.CA.65 | Gengenbachite | KFe3+3(PO3OH)4[PO2(OH)2]2 · 6H2O |
| 8.CA.70 | Parahopeite | Zn3(PO4)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.70 | Reaphookhillite | MgZn2(PO4)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.75 | Stergiouite | CaZn2(AsO4)2 · 4H2O |
| 8.CA.80 | Limousinite | BaCa[Be4P4O16] · 6H2O |
| 8.CA.85 | Minjiangite | BaBe2(PO4)2 |
| 8.CA.85 | Wilancookite | (Ba5Li2◻)Ba6Be24P24O96 · 26H2O |
Fluorescence of Gainesite
Not fluorescent
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Gainesite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-1635.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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Mineral Dealers:
References for Gainesite
Reference List:
Moore, Paul B., Araki, Takuharu, Steele, Ian M., Swihart, George H., Kampf, Anthony R. (1983) Gainesite, sodium zirconium beryllophosphate: a new mineral and its crystal structure. American Mineralogist, 68 (9-10) 1022-1028
Localities for Gainesite
Showing 1 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
USA (TL) | |
| Moore et al. (1983) +1 other reference |
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Nevel Quarry, Newry, Oxford County, Maine, USA