Simpsonite (original) (raw)
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
About SimpsoniteHide
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Colour:
Yellow, light brown or colourless, gray
Specific Gravity:
6.35 (Calculated)
Name:
Named in 1938 by Harry Bowley in honour of Edward Sydney Simpson (March 11, 1875, Woollahara, Western Australia, Australia - August 30, 1939, South Perth, Western Australia, Australia), government mineralogist and chemist of the Geological Survey of Western Australia. The Simpson Desert was also named for him.
Unique IdentifiersHide
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Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3670:8
6d887209-1f5b-4b98-a80c-82c80c835a5d
IMA Classification of SimpsoniteHide
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Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
Type description reference:
Classification of SimpsoniteHide
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4.DC.10
4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
D : Metal: Oxygen = 1:2 and similar
C : With medium-sized cations; sheets of edge-sharing octahedra
8.7.5.1
8 : MULTIPLE OXIDES CONTAINING NIOBIUM,TANTALUM OR TITANIUM
7 : Miscellaneous
18.1.19
18 : Niobates and Tantalates
1 : Niobates and tantalates containing neither rare earths nor U
Mineral SymbolsHide
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As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Spn | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of SimpsoniteHide
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Colour:
Yellow, light brown or colourless, gray
Density:
6.35 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of SimpsoniteHide
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RI values:
_n_ω = 2.045 _n_ε = 2.025
δ = 0.020
Image shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness)
and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Chemistry of SimpsoniteHide
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Mindat Formula:
Al4Ta3O13(OH)
Crystallography of SimpsoniteHide
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Class (H-M):
3 - Pyramidal
Cell Parameters:
a = 7.37 Å, c = 4.51 Å
Unit Cell V:
212.15 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Morphology:
Crystals tabular to short prismatic [0001].
Crystal StructureHide
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| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0005281 | Simpsonite | Ercit T S, Cerny P, Hawthorne F C (1992) The crystal chemistry of simpsonite The Canadian Mineralogist 30 663-671 |  |
1992 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide
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Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 1.651 Å | (100) |
| 2.859 Å | (67) |
| 3.69 Å | (62) |
| 2.131 Å | (59) |
| 1.395 Å | (54) |
| 2.417 Å | (40) |
| 2.609 Å | (37) |
Comments:
Alto do Giz pegmatite, Brazil. Data are from Ercit et al. (1992).
Geological EnvironmentHide
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Type Occurrence of SimpsoniteHide
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General Appearance of Type Material:
Poorly formed crystals approximating hexagonal prisms but showing only a few faces.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Western Australian Museum, Perth, numbers MDC1006, MDC1007.
The Natural History Museum, London, England, number 1938,122.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Primary mineral in Ta-rich granite pegmatites.
Reference:
Bowley, H. (1939) Simpsonite (sp. nov) from Tabba Tabba, western Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia: 25: 89–92.
Synonyms of SimpsoniteHide
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Other Language Names for SimpsoniteHide
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Common AssociatesHide
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Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide
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| 4.DC.05 | Bahianite | Al5Sb3O14(OH)2 | Mon. 2/m : _B_2/m |
|---|
Fluorescence of SimpsoniteHide
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May fluoresce blue-white, SW-UV.
Other InformationHide
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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 SimpsoniteHide
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References for SimpsoniteHide
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Localities for SimpsoniteHide
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This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the 
symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
Locality ListHide
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- 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). Struck out - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.