Mineralogy Database

Ekanite Mineral Data

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General Ekanite Information

Help on Chemical  Formula: Chemical Formula: ThCa2Si8O20
Help on Composition: Composition: Molecular Weight = 856.87 gm
   Calcium   9.35 %  Ca   13.09 % CaO
   Thorium  27.08 %  Th   30.81 % ThO2
   Silicon  26.22 %  Si   56.10 % SiO2
   Oxygen   37.34 %  O
           ______        ______ 
           100.00 %      100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Help on Empirical Formula: Empirical Formula: ThCa2Si8O20
Help on Environment: Environment: Detrital (Sri Lanka); in a glacial erratic syenitic boulder (Tombstone Mountains, Canada); in volcanic ejecta (Case Collina, Italy).
Help on IMA Status: IMA Status: Approved IMA 1961
Help on Locality: Locality: Eheliyagoda district, Sri Lanka. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Help on Name Origin: Name Origin: Named for F.L.D. Ekanayake, of Colombo, Sri Lanka, sho discovered the mineral.
Help on Name Pronunciation: Name Pronunciation: Ekanite Say EKANITE
Help on Synonym: Synonym: ICSD 64745
  PDF 35-532
 

Ekanite Image

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  Ekanite

Comments: Complex specimen of many minerals, most notable are four red ekanite crystals (rare!) scattered around the specimen.
Location: Poudrette quarry (Demix quarry; Uni-Mix quarry; Desourdy quarry), Mt Saint-Hilaire, Rouville Co., Québec, Canada. Scale: 6x4x4 cm.
© John Betts - Fine Minerals

Ekanite Crystallography

Help on Axial Ratios: Axial Ratios: a:c = 1:1.99024
Help on Cell Dimensions: Cell Dimensions: a = 7.483, c = 14.893, Z = 2; V = 833.94 Den(Calc)= 3.41
Help on Crystal System: Crystal System: Tetragonal - Trapezohedral H-M Symbol (4 2 2) Space Group: I 422
Help on X Ray Diffraction: X Ray Diffraction: By Intensity(I/Io): 4.14(1), 3.34(0.96), 6.69(0.61),
 

Physical Properties of Ekanite

Help on Cleavage: Cleavage: {101} Distinct
Help on Color: Color: Green, Yellow, Dark red.
Help on Density: Density: 3.08
Help on Diaphaneity: Diaphaneity: Translucent
Help on Fracture: Fracture: Brittle - Uneven - Very brittle fracture producing uneven fragments.
Help on Hardness: Hardness: 4.5 - Between Fluorite and Apatite
Help on Luster: Luster: Vitreous (Glassy)
Help on Streak: Streak: white
 

Optical Properties of Ekanite

Help on Gladstone-Dale: Gladstone-Dale: CI meas= 0.047 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.14 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1683,KPDmeas= 0.1864,KC= 0.1956
Ncalc = 1.6 - 1.67
Help on Optical Data: Optical Data: Uniaxial (-), e=1.568, w=1.58, bire=0.0120.
 

Calculated Properties of Ekanite

Help on Electron Density: Electron Density: Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.89 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Ekanite =3.08 gm/cc.
Help on Fermion Index: Fermion Index: Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99
Help on Photoelectric: Photoelectric: PEEkanite = 609.37 barns/electron
U=PEEkanite x relectron=1,761.05 barns/cc.
Help on Radioactivity: Radioactivity:

GRapi = 542,060.97 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Ekanite per GRapi unit =1,844.81 (PPB)

Ekanite is Radioactive as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. Greater than 70 Bq / gram.

Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 10 cm box) 56.11 ± 14.03 grams of pure Ekanite .
Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 100 cm box) 5611.3 ±1402.8 grams of pure Ekanite .

Estimated Radioactivity from Ekanite - strong
Specimen
Size
Weight/Volume
(Sphere)
*
Calculated
Activity
Bequerols
(Bq)
Calculated
Activity
Curies (Ci)
Estimated
Activity
GR(api)
Estimated
Exposure
(mRem**)/hr
If Held in Hand
For One Hour
1000 gm / 8.53 cm 12,131,775 3.28E-04 542,060.97 178.21
100 gm / 3.96 cm 1,213,178 3.28E-05 54,206.10 17.82
10 gm / 1.84 cm 121,318 3.28E-06 5,420.61 1.78
1 gm / 8.53 mm 12,132 3.28E-07 542.06 0.18
0.1 gm / 3.96 mm 1,213 3.28E-08 54.21 0.02
0.01 gm / 1.84 mm 121 3.28E-09 5.42 0.00
0.001 gm / 0.85 mm 12 3.28E-10 0.54 0.00

Weight of pure Ekanite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 3.08 gm/cc.*
Goverment Estimate of Average Annual Exposure ( 360 mRem) **
Note: 10 microsieverts/hr = 1 mRem/hr **
Max Permissable Adult Dose 50,000 mRem/yr (hands), 15,000 mRem/yr (eyes)
Lethal Dose LD(50) Exposure 400,000 to 500,000 mRem
 

Ekanite Classification

Help on  Dana Class: Dana Class: 72.01.01.01 (72)Phyllosilicate Two-Dimensional Infinite Sheets with Other Than Six-Membered Rings
  (72.01)with 4-membered rings
  (72.01.01)Dana Group
 
72.01.01.01 Ekanite ThCa2Si8O20 I 422 4 2 2
Help on  Strunz Class: Strunz Class: 09.EA.10 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)
  09.E - Phyllosilicates
  09.EA -Single nets of tetrahedra with 4-, 5-, (6-), and 8-membered rings
 
09.EA.10 Ekanite ThCa2Si8O20 I 422 4 2 2
 

Other Ekanite Information

Help on References: References: NAME( AntBidBlaNic2) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)
Help on See Also: See Also: Links to other databases for Ekanite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Athena
5 - EUROmin Project
6 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
7 - GeoScienceWorld
8 - Google Images
9 - Google Scholar
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
11 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
12 - MinDAT
13 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
14 - Online Mineral Museum
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info
17 - Uranium Minerals
18 - WWW-MINCRYST

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Ekanite Specimen Label here :

Ekanite

ThCa2Si8O20
Dana No: 72.01.01.01 Strunz No: 09.EA.10
Locality:

 

Notes:

 

 
   
 


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