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Ewingite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Ewingite
Rod Ewing during the Jachýmov conference in 2016
Formula:
Mg8Ca8(UO2)24(CO3)30O4(OH)12(H2O)138
Colour:
Golden yellow
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Name:
Ewingite, named in honor of Rodney Charles Ewing (born September 20, 1946, Abilene, Texas, died July 13, 2024, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, California), a geoscientist of the "Renaissance grade", mineralogist, and materials scientist whose research was focused on the properties of nuclear materials, nuclear fuel waste management, and nuclear forensics (including non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, etc.) at Stanford University, California, USA.
Rod was one of the pioneers analyzing metamict REE-U-Nb-Ta-Ti-oxides with microprobe in the 1970s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_C._Ewing
https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/rod-ewing-geoscientist-and-nuclear-security-expert-has-died
Rod was one of the pioneers analyzing metamict REE-U-Nb-Ta-Ti-oxides with microprobe in the 1970s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_C._Ewing
https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/rod-ewing-geoscientist-and-nuclear-security-expert-has-died
New structure type. Chemically resembles rabbittite, swartzite, and albrechtschraufite.
The most structurally complex mineral to date (however, compare ilmajokite-(Ce); and batoniite).
The most structurally complex mineral to date (however, compare ilmajokite-(Ce); and batoniite).
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
47791
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:47791:6
IMA Classification of Ewingite
Approved
IMA Formula:
Mg8Ca8(U6+O2)24(CO3)30O4(OH)12·138H2O
Approval year:
2016
First published:
2017
Classification of Ewingite
5.EC.15
5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
E : Uranyl Carbonates
C : UO2:CO3 < 1:1 - 1:2
5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
E : Uranyl Carbonates
C : UO2:CO3 < 1:1 - 1:2
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Ewg | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Ewingite
Colour:
Golden yellow
Optical Data of Ewingite
Chemistry of Ewingite
Mindat Formula:
Mg8Ca8(UO2)24(CO3)30O4(OH)12(H2O)138
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Ewingite
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Class (H-M):
4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) - Ditetragonal Dipyramidal
Space Group:
I41/acd
Setting:
I41/acd
Cell Parameters:
a = 35.401(9) Å, c = 48.157(13) Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 1.36
Unit Cell V:
59245 ų
Crystal Structure
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2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
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Labels
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M11965 | Ewingite | Olds, T. A., Plášil, J., Kampf, A. R., Simonetti, A., Sadergaski, L. R., Chen, Y.-S. and Burns, P. C. (2017) Ewingite Olds, T. A., Plášil, J., Kampf, A. R., Simonetti, A., Sadergaski, L. R., Chen, Y.-S. and Burns, P. C. Ewingite: Earth’s most complex mineral. Geology, 45, 11, 1007–1010. |  | 2017 | Plavno Mine, Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic | 0 | 100 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 17.8 Å | (19) |
| 14.3 Å | (31) |
| 10.1 Å | (74) |
| 8.28 Å | (100) |
| 6.61 Å | (24) |
| 6.03 Å | (30) |
| 5.69 Å | (36) |
| 3.772 Å | (17) |
Comments:
From Type Description.
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47a : [Near-surface hydration of prior minerals] | |
| 47c : [Carbonates, phosphates, borates, nitrates] | |
| 47f : [Uranyl (U⁶⁺) minerals] |
Type Occurrence of Ewingite
Co-Type Localities:
General Appearance of Type Material:
Ewingite forms aggregates of golden-yellow crystals as large as 0.2 mm in diameter
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Type material is deposited in the mineralogical collections of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA, catalogue number 65686
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Efflorescence growing directly on weathered uraninite in the mining adit
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Ewingite
Other Language Names for Ewingite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 5.EC.05 | Fontanite | Ca(UO2)3(CO3)4 · 3H2O |
| 5.EC.10 | Zellerite | Ca(UO2)(CO3)2 · 5H2O |
| 5.EC.10 | Metazellerite | Ca(UO2)(CO3)2 · 3H2O |
| 5.EC.20 | Meyrowitzite | Ca(UO2)(CO3)2 · 5H2O |
Radioactivity
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Ewingite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-47791.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Ewingite
Localities for Ewingite
Showing 3 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Czech Republic (TL) | |
| Plášil et al. (2020) |
| Mineralogical Magazine +1 other reference |
Germany | |
| Möhn et al. (11/2020) |
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Plavno mine, Hanušov, Ostrov, Karlovy Vary District, Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic