The Wodginite Group. Iii. Classification and New Species
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633 Canadian Mineralogist Vol. 30, pp. 633-638(1992) THE WODGINITE GROUP. III. CLASSIFICATION AND NEW SPECIES T. SCOTT ERCITI, PETRIERNY eNp FRANK C, HAWTHORNE Deportmentof GeologicalSciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg,Manitoba R3T 2N2 ABSTRACT The minerals constituting the wodginite group are isostructural oxides, with the generalformula ABC2Oy (Z = 4);A = Mn2*, Fd*, Li, E B : Sn4*, Ti, Fe3*, Ta;C : Ta, Nb. A classificationsystembased onthe chemistry of the .,4-and B-cationsites has been devised; it useschemical modifiers in conjunctionwith the root name"wodginite". Wodginite itself has the generalformula MnSnTa2Os;two new membersof the wodginite group are charactedzed here:-ferrowodginite, F/+SnTa2Os and titanowoiginite, MnTiTa2Os. Ferrowodginite occurs as 0.01- to- 0.2-mm inclusionsin cassiteritefrom a granitic pegmatitenear Sukula, southwestemFinland. It is dark brown to black' has a dark brown streak, vitreous luster, is optically anisotropic with all n>2, and is nonfluorescent.The calculated density is 7.02 g/cm3; it is brittle, H 5%, without cleavage;it has an irregular fracture. The averagechemical composition(wt. Vo)is: MnO 2.8, FeO 9.3, Fe2O31.9, TiO2 4.3, SnO210.1, Nb2O5 14.8, Ta2O5 56.3, total 99.4.The strongestfivelines in the X-ray powderpauein-are:4.16('50),'2.g7(Aq,2.55(30i, 2.493(40\ {nd 1.a55(30)A. fne unit-cell parametersare o 9.415(7),b 11.442(6),c 5.103(4)A, B 90.8(l)', V 549.'7(6)Ar, spacegroup A/c. Titanowodginiteoccurs as euhedral,diamond-shaped crystals up to I cm acrossat the Tanco pegmatite,Bernic Lake, Manitoba. It is dark brown to black, has a dark brown streak, vitreous luster, is optically anisotropic and biaxial (+) with aJIn>2, and is nonfluorescent.The densityis 6.86 (meas.)and 6.89g/cmr (calc.);it is brittle, H 5%, with no cleavageand an irregularfracture. The chemicalcdmposition (wt.9o) is: MnO 9.0, FeO 3.1, Fe2O30.1,'fi029.2, SnO27.4, lrlb2os ll.l, Ta2O559.9, totd99.7.The strongestfive tines in the X-ray pgwdgr pallgry.are:-3.644(46\, Z.giio}A\,2:966(95),2.49566\and 1.715(23)A. Theunit-cellparametersarea9.466(2), b 11.431(l),c5.126(l) A, p g}.3lQf , V 554.6(l) A3; the spacegroup is A/c.The classification,the new speciesand their nameswere approved for publication by the I.M.A. Commissionon New Minerals and Mineral Names' Keywords: ferrowodginite, titanowodginite, wodginite, new mineral species,oxide, granitic pegmatite, Finland, Manitoba. SoMMAIRE Les min6raux du groupe de la wodginite sont des oxydesisostructuraux ayant la formule gdn6raleABC2O8 (Z = + * + 4); I repr6senteMn2 , Fe2+, Li et deslacunes, B repr6senteSn4 , Ti, Fe3 et Ta, et C, Ta et M. Nous proposons un systbmede classificationfond6 sur I'occupation des positions A et B; il se sert de qualificatifs et de Ia racine "wodginite". La wodginite proprement dite a la formule MnSnTa2O3.Nous ddcrivonsici deux nouveauxmembres de ce groupe, ferrowodginite, Fd+SnTarOr, et titanowodginite, MnTiTa2O6. La ferrowodginite forme de petites inclusions(0.01-0.2 mm) dansla cassit6rited'une pegmatitegranitique pris de Sukula,dans le sud-ouestde la Finlande. Les cristaux sont brun fonc6 ir noir, ont une rapre brun fonc6 et un 6clat vitreux; ils sont optiquementanisotropes, tous les indices n 6tant sup€rieursd 2, et non fluorescentes.La densit6calcul6e est de 7.02; la ferrowodginite est cassante(fractures irrdgulibres); sa duret6 est de 5%, et elle est sansclivage. La composition chimique moyenne(90, en poids)est: MnO 2.8, FeO 9.3, Fe2O31.9, TiO2 4.3, SnO210.1, M2O5 14.8,Ta2O5 56.3, total 99.4.Lescinq raies les plus intensesdu clich6de poudre [d en A(I)] sont: 4.16(10),2.97(100),2.55(30), 2.493(40) et 1.455(30).Les parambrresrdriculaires sont: a 9.415(7),b 11,442(6),c 5.103(4)A, p 90.8(l)', v 549.7(6)Ar, groupespatial a/c. La titanowodginite forme des cristaux idiomorphes en losangesd'un cm dans la pegmatite de Tanco, lac Bernic, au Manitoba. Les cristauxsont brun fonc6 A noir, la rayure, brun fonc6, et l'6clat, vitreux; elleest optiquement anisotrope et biaxe positive, avectous les indicesde r6fraction sup€rieursd 2, et non fluorescente.La densit6est 6.86 (mesu1€e) et 6.89 (calcul6e).Elle estcassante; sa duretdest de 5%. Elle ne montre aucun clivage,et les fracturessont irr6gulibres. La compositionchimique (90, en poids)est: MnO 9.0, FeO 3.1, Fe2O30.^1, TiO2 9.2, SnO, 7.4, Nb2O511.1, Ta2O5 59.9,total 99.7.Les cinq raiesles plus intenses du clich6de poudre[d en A(I)] sont:3.644(46),2.976(100),2.966(95), 2.495(36)et 1.715(23).Les paramdtres r6ticulaires sont a 9.466(2),b ll.43l(l), c 5.126(l) A, B 90.31(2)', V 554.6(l) 43, groupe spatialA./c. Le sch6made classification,les espdcesnouvelles et leur nom ont recu I'approbation de la Commissiondes nouveauxmindraux et des noms de min6raux de I'Association lnternationale de Min6ralogie. (Traduit par la R6daction) Mots-cl6s:ferrowodginite, titanowodginite, wodginite, nouvelle espbce mindrale, oxyde, pegmatite granitique, Finlande, Manitoba. lPresentaddress: Mineral SciencesDivision. CanadianMuseum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario KIP 6P4. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/canmin/article-pdf/30/3/633/3420499/633.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 634 THE CANADIAN MINERALOGIST INTRODUCTIoN difficulty involved in obtaining actualsite-occupan- cies by means other than crystal-structure analysis Although wodginite was first encounteredby or highly precise powder diffractometry, a clas- Simpson (1909) at Wodgina, Western Australia, sification based on the fully ordered formulae recognition of its status as a new mineral species seemsmost practical (c/. the columbite group). 3) came only when Nickel et al. (1963\ showed it to Coupled substitutionsinvolving more than one site be distinct from tantalite. Recognition of this result in further complexity, as does the introduc- distinction led to the discoveryof wodginite at a tion of some substituents by more than one variety of localities, which today total 37 in mechanism (e.9., B-site Ta). However, these number. mechanismsare well known (Ercit er al. 1992.a\,so Nickel el al. (1963)correctly inferred wodginite that by applylng constraints to the rules of to be a superstructureof ixiolite; however, it was nomenclature,a solution should be possible.Table not until much later that the detailsof the structure I summarizesall known operators. of wodginite and its formula were deciphered Taking all of the above factors into considera- @ergusonet ol. 1976).Wodginite has the general tion, the following scheme is proposed for the formula ABC2O8,ideally .4 = M[, B = Sn and classification and nomenclatureof wodginite-group C = Ta, with Z : 4 and space group C2,/c. minerals basedon A- ard B-site chemistries: Wodginite showsconsiderable solid-solution at all 1. The set of specieswith the wodginite structure structural sites (e.9., von Knorring et al. 1969, (pafiially to completelyordered, Ercit et al. 199?-a, Kornetova et al. L918). We have found some b) is referred to as the wodginitegroup. samplesto deviate by more than 5090 from the 2. For historical reasons, the name wodginite is ideal formula; hence "wodginite" as previously usedfor end-memberMnSnTa2Os, which is closest defined inadequatelydescribes these samples.As to the composition of most natural wodginite- previously defined, "wodginite" consists of a group minerals. group of mineral species.The classificationand two 3. Species names are to consist of the root new membersof the group are the subject of the "wodginite" modified by prefixesreflecting.,4- and present paper; the structural crystallographyand B-site chemistries. crystal chemistry of the group are described in 4. Such prefixesare to be usedonly in caseswhere companion papers@rcit et al. 1992a,b). one or more of the operatorsin Table I are more than 5090effective. ClassrrtcanroN 5. No more than one prefix per site should be used to construct the name, in which case the 1-site The name wodginite, as introduced by Nickel et prefix should precedethe 8-site prefix. In cases al. (1963)and defined by Fergusonet al. (1976),is where more than one constituent is introduced to associatedwith the composition MnSnTarOs. As a single site by the operation, the prefix chosen such, the name is inappropriate for severalnatural should reflect the unique constituentonly. examplesof wodginite that deviate by more than The following examplesshould serveto illustrate 50r/o at individual cation sites from this ideal the applicationof point 5. Ta is a non-uniqueB-site composition. These examplesof wodginite most constiluent in that it can be introduced to the site closely approach the hypothetical end-members by as many as four different mechanisms of FeSnTa2Os,MnTiTa2O6 or LiTaTa2Os. substitution (operators4 to 7 qf Table 1). One of Subdivision and classification of wodginite- these operators is always insignificant from a group minerals are complicated by a number of taxonomicpoint of view, and thus it can be ignored factors. l) Cation substitutions involve three (operator 7). Of the remaining operators, (5) distinct sites,making a nomenclaturebased on the representsthe only one by which Fe3+ can be genericname wodginite diffrcult. However,because introduced to the .B site. Fd+ is the unique of the limited extent of Nb substitution at the C site (<C-site Nb> : 1590,maximum C-siteNb : 35Vo),substitutions at this site can be ignored for purposesof nomenclature. Classification can TABLEI. SIGI{IFICANTSUESTII1rIIOI{ OPEMTORS FOR IHE I{ODCINITE GRO,'P be basedsimply on the nature of the occupant of the .4 and B sites; the reduced dimensionality of End-nember the problem makes a nomenclature involving a (l) Fea !in*"r FeaasnaTaooa generic name plus chemical prefixes possible. (2) Tlar Snar"l l4tuTlaTtuO* 2) (3) Nb* c[Tar]-t l4&Sn1Nbsolz The degree of cation order is variable; the (4) alLl.l 8[Tah] ^[Mnz.]-18[sn4a]"1 LldagTasoy calculation of fully ordered formulae may not (5) Fe* 8[Ia]l Sn4.-2 iln4F€*aTazTasO! exactly reflect the disorder-modified (6) rtr 8[Tat]2 ailtn]l.r 8[Sn4{1"2 MnaTa{Ta80? site occupan- (7) 8tr 8[Tat]4 Sr$r-5 llnaTa3.2Ta60s cies of some samples.