TADZHIKITE

    Class : Silicates
    Subclass : Sorosilicates
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : Ca3(Y,Ce)2(Ti,Al,Fe)B4Si4O22(O,OH)2
    Rarity : Very rare

Tadzhikite-(Ce) is a complex silicate of boron, titanium and rare earths, isostructural with hellandite. It is essentially a mineral found in pegmatites and xenoliths of alkaline massifs. Its name comes from its region of discovery : Tajikistan. Tadzhikite-(Ce) occurs in crystals of two different morphologies : spherulites of curved lamellae not exceeding 1.5 cm and flattened prisms. Tadzhikite also forms foliated or lamellar botryoidal masses with a radiate texture. It is pale grayish brown to dark brown and brownish red in color.

Main photo : Tadzhikite from Tre Croci, Vetralla, Italy © Gianfranco Ciccolini

Tadzhikite in the World

Tadzhikite is known from only a handful of deposits in the world. The most important site is the alkaline pegmatite with riebeckite - arfvedsonite of Dara-i-Pioz (Tajikistan), where tadzhikite is residual in the albitized border zone, and in crystals in the later silicified internal zone (which explains its surprising association with quartz). It is also reported in marble xenoliths from Mont St-Hilaire (Quebec, Canada).

Right photo : Tadzhikite from Dara-i-Pioz, Tadjikistan © Roy Kristiansen

Tadzhikite in France

Tadzhikite is not present in the French underground.

Twinning

No twinning known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 6
Density : 3.73 to 3.86
Fracture : Undetermined
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to opaque
RI : 1.750 to 1.772
Birefringence : 0.013
Optical character : Biaxial (+/-)
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : -

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None

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