Baratovite
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Baratovite was named in honor of Rauf Baratovich Baratov (1921- ), Soviet petrologist at the Institute of Geology, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Discovered in 1974; IMA status: Valid (IMA Approved 1975)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

KLia₃Ca₇(Ti,Zr)₂Si₁₂O₃₆F₂

Potassium Lithium Calcium Titanium Zirconium Silicate Fluoride  

Molecular Weight:

1,408.90 gm

Composition:

Potassium

2.78 %

K

3.34 %

K₂O

Lithium

1.48 %

Li

3.18 %

Li₂O

Calcium

19.91 %

Ca

27.86 %

CaO

Zirconium

3.24 %

Zr

4.37 %

ZrO₂

Titanium

5.10 %

Ti

8.50 %

TiO₂

Silicon

23.92 %

Si

51.18 %

SiO₂

Oxygen

40.88 %

O

Fluorine

2.70 %

F

2.70 %

F

—

 —  %

F

-O=F₂

100.00 %

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates (Germanates)

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/E.14-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.CJ.25

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
C : Cyclosilicates
J : [Si₆O₁₈]₁₂- 6-membered single rings (sechser-Einfachringe), without insular complex anions

Related to:

The Ti analogue of Aleksandrovite. The fluor-dominant analog of Katayamalite. Some mineralogists now claim that Baratovite is also hydroxyl- rather than fluor- dominant, and that Baratovite and Katayamalite are therefore the same species, with the name Baratovite having priority. At present this situation has not been clarified and Katayamalite remains an IMA-approved distinct species.

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

ICSD 100493, IMA1974-055, PDF 33-811

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

As platy deposits, to 5 cm; in patchy granular aggregates

Twinning:

Common on {001}

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

Perfect on {001}

Fracture:

Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

3.5 - 4.0

Density:

2.92 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

Brilliant bluish white fluorescence under SW UV

Radioactivity:

Barely Detectable; GRapi = 39.51 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Optical Properties

Color:

White, white with pinkish tints

Transparency:

Transparent to translucent

Luster:

Vitreous, pearly in part

Refractive Index:

1.672 - 1.673  Biaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.001

Dispersion:

Strong; r > v

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

An accessory mineral in quartz-albite-aegirine veinlets and in albitites in syenites (Dara-i-Pioz massif, Tajikistan); a fine-grained accessory mineral in a small aegirine syenite stock in coarse-grained biotite granite (Iwagi Islet, Japan).

Common Associations:

Miserite, Ekanite, Titanite, Quartz, Albite, Aegirine (Dara-i-Pioz massif, Tajikistan); Albite, Aegirine, Pectolite, Sugilite, Allanite, Titanite, Andradite, Zircon, Apatite (Iwagi Islet, Japan).

Common Impurities:

Fe, Nb, Mn, Na

Type Locality:

Dara-Pioz Glacier (Dara-i-Pioz; Darai-Pioz), Tien Shan Mountain, Alai Range (Alayskiy), Region of Republican Subordination, Tajikistan

Year Discovered:

1974 (IMA Approved 1975)

View mineral photos:

Baratovite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Baratovite is a very rare silicate mineral that was discovered in 1974 at the Dara-Pioz Glacier, Dara-Pioz massif, Tien Shan Mountain, Alai Range, Tajikistan and approved as a new mineral species by the IMA in 1975. This location is an alkaline massif with boron-rich granitoids intruding into schists, crossed by metasomatite and pegmatite veins. It is host to 133 valid mineral species of which it is the Type Locality (TL) for 33 minerals including Baratovite and Sogdianite. This locality is in a very remote and hostile area and recent access has only been by helicopter.

Baratovite is white or white with slight pinkish tints, has vitreous to pearly luster and may look similar to Muscovite but is easily distinguished by its brilliant blue fluorescence under SW UV light. Baratovite was named in honor of Rauf Baratovich Baratov (1921- ), Soviet petrologist at the Institute of Geology, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Baratovite distribution: from the Dara-Pioz massif, Tien Shan Mountain, Alai Range, Tajikistan. On Iwagi Islet, Ehime Prefecture, Japan.
 

  
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