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Wardite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

  
Wardite is named after Henry Augustus Ward (1834-1906), Professor of Natural Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA. He was also a collector and founder of Ward's Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, which deals in natural history objects.

Discovered in 1896;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

NaAl₃(PO₄)₂(OH)₄·2(H₂O)

Hydrated Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide

Molecular Weight:

397.94 gm

Composition: 

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Phosphates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

7/D.51-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

8.DL.10

8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
D : Phosphates, etc. with additional anions, with H₂O
L : With large and medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO₄ = 2:1

Related to:

Wardite Group. Wardite - Millisite Series.

Synonyms:

Soumansite

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Tetragonal - Trapezohedral

Crystal Habit:

Crystals dipyramidal, pseudo-octahedral, exhibiting forms {010}, {011}, {012}, {100}, and rarely {001}. Commonly striated perpendicular to [001]. Granular aggregates and crusts; subparallel aggregates of coarse fibers; radially-fibrous and concentrically banded spherulites.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[001] Perfect

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

5.0

Density:

2.81 - 2.87 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Other:

Completely soluble in acids with difficulty.

Optical Properties

Color:

White, Colorless, pale Green, Blue-Green, Yellow-Green, pale Yellow, Brown; Colorless in transmitted light

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Vitreous

Refractive Index:

1.586 - 1.604  Uniaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.0090 - 0.0100

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

A component of low-temperature phosphatic nodules; an uncommon species in complex zoned pegmatites.

Common Associations:

Crandallite, Millisite, Variscite (Little Green Monster mine, Utah, USA); Eosphorite, Fairfieldite, Ferrisicklerite, Hydroxyl-Herderite, Mitridatite, Montgomeryite, Roscherite, Siderite, Whitlockite (pegmatites).

Type Locality:

Clay Canyon, Fairfield, Oquirrh Mts, Utah Co., Utah, USA

Year Discovered:

1896

View mineral photos:

Wardite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Wardite is a rare, little known and unusual Phosphate mineral. Unusual in that it is one of only a few minerals that is known to belong to the tetragonal - trapezohedral class. Two of the other gem type minerals in this class are Ekanite and Mellite. Massive green Wardite is commonly associated with Variscite nodules in Utah, USA.

There a several localities for finding Wardite but only a few that could produce gem quality crystals. These include the Feldspar quarry, Wolfsberg Mt., Spittal, Millstatt lake ridge, Carinthia, Austria; Ilha claim (Lavra da Ilha), Taquaral, Itinga, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil; Rapid Creek, Dawson Mining District, Yukon Territory, Canada; the Little Green Monster mine, Clay Canyon, about nine km west of Fairfield, Utah County, Utah, USA; Palermo No. 1 Mine (Palermo #1 pegmatite), Groton, Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA.
 

  
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