Cleusonite is a member of the crichtonite group of minerals with the chemical formula . This group of minerals contains approximately thirteen complex metal titanates. The structures of minerals of this group is complicated by frequent fine-scale twinning and

metamictization Metamictisation (sometimes called metamictization or metamiction) is a natural process resulting in the gradual and ultimately complete destruction of a mineral's crystal structure, leaving the mineral amorphous. The affected material is therefore ...

due to radioactive elements. The crichtonite group consists of members of related mineral species of the type AO₃₈ which are characterized by their predominant cations (as seen in crichtonite (Sr), senaite (Pb),

davidite Davidite is a rare earth oxide mineral with chemical end members La and Ce. It exists in two forms: *Davidite-(La) discovered at Radium Hill mine, South Australia in 1906 and named by Douglas Mawson for Australian geologist Tannatt William Ed ...

(REE + U), landauite (Na),

loveringite Loveringite is a rare metallic oxide mineral of the crichtonite group with the chemical formula . It is a late-stage magmatic mineral, formed in the residual melt of mafic layered intrusions in either the olivine-chromite, pyroxene, or plagiocla ...

(Ca), lindsleyite (Ba), and mathiasite (K).

Composition

The chemical formula of cleusonite is . The following minerals are also found in the veins of cleusonite;

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

chlorite The chlorite ion, or chlorine dioxide anion, is the halite with the chemical formula of . A chlorite (compound) is a compound that contains this group, with chlorine in the oxidation state of +3. Chlorites are also known as salts of chlorous ac ...

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

albite Albite is a plagioclase feldspar mineral. It is the sodium endmember of the plagioclase solid solution series. It represents a plagioclase with less than 10% anorthite content. The pure albite endmember has the formula . It is a tectosilicate. I ...

microcline Microcline (KAlSi3O8) is an important igneous rock-forming tectosilicate mineral. It is a potassium-rich alkali feldspar. Microcline typically contains minor amounts of sodium. It is common in granite and pegmatites. Microcline forms during slow ...

tourmaline Tourmaline ( ) is a crystalline silicate mineral group in which boron is compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is a gemstone and can be found in a wide variety of colors. The ...

fluorapatite Fluorapatite, often with the alternate spelling of fluoroapatite, is a phosphate mineral with the formula Ca5(PO4)3F (calcium fluorophosphate). Fluorapatite is a hard crystalline solid. Although samples can have various color (green, brown, bl ...

zircon Zircon () is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates and is a source of the metal zirconium. Its chemical name is zirconium(IV) silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO4. An empirical formula showing some of the r ...

ilmenite Ilmenite is a titanium-iron oxide mineral with the idealized formula . It is a weakly magnetic black or steel-gray solid. Ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium and the main source of titanium dioxide, which is used in paints, printing ...

hematite Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...

titanite Titanite, or sphene (from the Greek ''sphenos'' (σφηνώ), meaning wedge), is a calcium titanium nesosilicate mineral, Ca Ti Si O5. Trace impurities of iron and aluminium are typically present. Also commonly present are rare earth metals in ...

pyrite The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Iron, FeSulfur, S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic Luster (mineralogy), lust ...

chalcopyrite Chalcopyrite ( ) is a copper iron sulfide mineral and the most abundant copper ore mineral. It has the chemical formula CuFeS2 and crystallizes in the tetragonal system. It has a brassy to golden yellow color and a hardness of 3.5 to 4 on the Mo ...

tennantite Tennantite is a copper arsenic sulfosalt mineral with an ideal formula . Due to variable substitution of the copper by iron and zinc the formula is . It is gray-black, steel-gray, iron-gray or black in color. A closely related mineral, tetrahedri ...

rutile Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the most common natural form of TiO2. Rarer Polymorphism (materials science), polymorphs of TiO2 are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite. Rutile has one of the highest ...

, crichtonite,

monazite Monazite is a primarily reddish-brown phosphate mineral that contains rare-earth elements. Due to variability in composition, monazite is considered a group of minerals. The most common species of the group is monazite-(Ce), that is, the cerium- ...

-(Ce), and

native gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

Clausthalite Clausthalite is a lead selenide mineral, PbSe. It forms a solid solution series with galena PbS. Occurrence It occurs in low-sulfur hydrothermal deposits with other selenides and in mercury deposits. It is associated with tiemannite, klockmann ...

, and

uraninite Uraninite, formerly pitchblende, is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition that is largely UO2 but because of oxidation typically contains variable proportions of U3O8. Radioactive decay of the uranium causes t ...

are also found in the form of inclusions in cleusonite.

Structure

The structure of the

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

end-member senaite of the crichtonite group was determined in 1976 by Grey & Lloyd. The structure of the other members of the crichtonite group is similar and corresponds to the formula AM₂₁O₃₈. The crystals of cleusonite consist of multiple rhombohedra and hexagonal prisms that are twinned. The crystal system is a

trigonal In crystallography, the hexagonal crystal family is one of the six crystal families, which includes two crystal systems (hexagonal and trigonal) and two lattice systems (hexagonal and rhombohedral). While commonly confused, the trigonal crysta ...

- rhombohedral class 3 and has space group of R.

Physical properties

Cleusonite is seen as a black opaque cm-sized tabular crystal with a bright sub-metallic luster. It does not have any cleavage and has a density of about 4.74(4) g/cm3. The calculated density may vary from 5.02(6) (for untreated crystals) to 5.27(5) (heat-treated crystals); the variations are caused by the cell swelling due to the

. Cleusonite crystals are usually metamict black semimetallic prismatic and associated with

Geological occurrence characteristics

It was found at two occurrences in

greenschist facies Greenschists are metamorphic rocks that formed under the lowest temperatures and pressures usually produced by regional metamorphism, typically and 2–10 kilobars (). Greenschists commonly have an abundance of green minerals such as chlorite, ...

metamorphosed

gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...

ic series of the Mont Fort and Siviez-Mischabel Nappes in

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

(Cleuson and Bella Tolla summit), and named after the type locality. Cleusonite is found first in

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...

s of the central Swiss

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

with the type locality being

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

alpine cleft veins near Cleuson, Val de Nendaz, Valais and secondly in gneisses and crosscutting alpine veins near the Bella Tolla summit, also in Valais. In the Bella Tolla summit it is found in the form of

-stained flattened aggregates with

baryte Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate ( Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...

magnetite Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe2+Fe3+2O4. It is one of the oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetic; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet itself. With the ...

cinnabar Cinnabar (), or cinnabarite (), from the grc, κιννάβαρι (), is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and ...

, and

malachite Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. This opaque, green-banded mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses, in fractures ...

. The name cleusonite is used for the previously described “uranium-rich senaite” from Alinci,

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

and the "plumbodavidite" from Huanglongpu,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Cleusonite is

radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consid ...

References

* Ercit, S.T et al. (2006). New mineral names. American Mineralogist, 2006; 91; 1201.120.‘Cleusonite Gallery’. (n.d). Retrieved on October 12, 2009. from http://www.mindat.org/gallery.php?min=26262 * Gatehouse, B. M, Grey, I. E, Campbell, I. H & Kelly, P. R. (1978). The crystal structure of loveringite - a new member of the crichtonite group. American Mineralogist, 1978; 63: 28–36. * General Cleusonite Information (n.d). Retrieved on October 12, 2009, from: http://webmineral.com/data/Cleusonite.shtml * Haggerty, S.E et al. (1983). Lindsleyite (Ba) and mathiasite (K): Two new chromium-titanates in the crichtonite series from the upper mantle. American Mineralogist, 1983; 68:494-505. * Pabst, A. (1961). X-ray crystallography of davidite. American Mineralogist, 1961; 46: 700–718. * Sabau, G & Alberico, A. (2007). What is CCZN-armalcolite? A crystal-chemical discussion and an ad hoc incursion in the crichtonite-minerals group. Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai, Geologia, 2007; 52 (2); 55–66. * Wülser, P.A et al. (2005). Cleusonite, (Pb, Sr)(U4+,U6+)(Fe2+,Zn)2(Ti,Fe2+,Fe3+)18(O,OH)38, a new mineral species of the crichtonite group from the western Swiss Alps. European Journal of Mineralogy, 17(6), 933-942 (10). * Grey, I.E, Lloyd, D.J & White, J.S. Jr. (1976). The structure of crichtonite and its relationship to senaite. American Mineralogist, 1976; 61: 1203-1212 {{Refend Lead minerals Strontium minerals Uranium(IV,VI) minerals Iron(II,III) minerals Zinc minerals Titanium minerals Oxide minerals Trigonal minerals Minerals in space group 148 Minerals described in 2005