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Béhierite

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Béhierite
General
CategoryBorate
Formula
(repeating unit)		TaBO4
IMA symbolBéh
Strunz classification6.AC.15
Crystal systemTetragonal
Crystal classDitetragonal dipyramidal (4/mmm)
H-M symbol: (4/m 2/m 2/m)
Space groupI41/amd
Unit cella = 6.21, c = 5.47  (approximated); Z = 4
Identification
Crystal habitpseudo-octahedral
Cleavage{110} and {010}, distinct
FractureSubconchoidal
Mohs scale hardness7-7.5
Density7.91 (calc.), 7.86 (meas.)
Optical propertiesUniaxial (+)
Refractive indexnω & nε >2
BirefringenceHigh
References

Béhierite is a very rare borate mineral, and the tantalum endmember of a (Nb,Ta)BO4 solid solution series formed with schiavinatoite, its niobium analogue.

Béhierite is also one of the most simple tantalum minerals. It contains simple tetrahedral borate anions, instead of more common among minerals, planar BO3 groups. Both have zircon-type structure (tetragonal, space group I41/amd) and are found in pegmatites. Béhierite and holtite are minerals with essential tantalum and boron.

Béhierite was named for Jean Béhier (1903–1965), who discovered the mineral in 1959, as a French mineralogist, active in the Service Géologique, on the island of Madagascar.

Occurrence and association

Béhierite occurs in granitic pegmatites in Manjaka and Antsongombato, Madagascar. Associated minerals are albite, manganese-bearing apatite-group mineral, lepidolite, elbaite or elbaite–liddicoatite, feldspar, pollucite, quartz, rhodizite, and schiavinatoite.

Crystal structure

Crystal structure of synthetic TaBO4 was refined by Range et al. (1996). As béhierite is analogous to schiavinatoite, their crystal structures are expected to be similar.

References

  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. ^ "Béhierite (Ta,Nb)BO4 - Handbook of Mineralogy" (PDF). Handbookofmineralogy.org. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  3. ^ "Béhierite: Béhierite mineral information and data". Mindat.org. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  4. Mrose, M.E., and Rose, H.J., 1961. Behierite, (Ta,Nb)BO4, a new mineral from Manjaka, Madagascar. Geological Society of America, Abstracts Annual Meetings 1961, 111A-111A
  5. "Holtite: Holtite mineral information and data". Mindat.org. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  6. Range, K.J., Wildenauer, M., and Andratschke, M., 1996. Crystal structure of tantalum orthoborate, TaBO4. Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, 211-215
  7. Demartin, F., Diella, V., Gramaccioli, C.M., and Pezzotta, F., 2001. Schiavinatoite, (Nb,Ta)BO4, the Nb analogue of behierite. European Journal of Mineralogy 13, 159-165
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