How do I identify Scandiobabingtonite?

Scandiobabingtonite can be identified by its hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale, Colourless color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Scandiobabingtonite?

Scandiobabingtonite typically appears in Colourless, pale grey-green, ligth green, dark green. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Scandiobabingtonite?

Scandiobabingtonite has a hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale. This gives it moderate hardness.

Scandiobabingtonite

A variety of Minerals

What is Scandiobabingtonite?

Scandiobabingtonite was first discovered in the Montecatini granite quarry near Baveno, Italy in a pegmatite cavity. Though found in pegmatites, the crystals of scandiobabingtonite are sub-millimeter sized, and are tabular shaped. Scandiobabingtonite was the sixth naturally occurring mineral discovered with the rare earth element scandium, and grows around babingtonite, with which it is isostructural, hence the namesake. It is also referred to as scandian babingtonite. The ideal chemical formula for scandiobabingtonite is Ca2(Fe,Mn)ScSi5O14(OH).

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Scandiobabingtonite Localities Map

See where Scandiobabingtonite is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.

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North ZoneCentral RidgeSouth Basin

Key Characteristics

Characteristics of Scandiobabingtonite

Scandiobabingtonite is a colorless or lightly gray-green colored transparent mineral with a glassy or vitreous luster. It exhibits a hardness of 6 on the Mohs hardness scale. Scandiobabingtonite occurs as short, prismatic crystals that are slightly elongated on the [001] axis which gives it a tabular or platy shape. Its crystals are characterized by the {010}, {001}, {110}, {1-10}, and {101} faces. Scandiobabingtonite is brittle and shows perfect cleavage along the {001} and {1-10} planes. The measured density is 3.24 g/cm.

Formation of Scandiobabingtonite

Scandiobabingtonite is found in association with orthoclase, quartz, light blue albite, stilbite, fluorite, and mica. When found with these minerals, the scandiobabingtonite crystals are emplanted on the surface of the other minerals. It also occurs as growth around green-black prismatic crystals of babingtonite. The samples of scandiobabingtonite that have been discovered have shown that they start out growing from a seed of babingtonite crystal. This is how scandiobabingtonite gets its chemical structure. The starting seed of babingtonite is still present in the center of the resulting crystal and can be detected with optical and chemical studies. Scandiobabingtonite is a uniquely rare mineral, as it occurs in very small amounts in few locations around the world. It is one of thirteen naturally occurring minerals where scandium is a dominant member. The other scandium minerals are bazzite, cascandite, hetftetjernite, jervisite, juonniite, kolbeckite, kristiansenite, magbasite, oftedalite, pretulite, thortveitite, and titanowodginite. Scandium can also concentrate in other minerals, such as in ferromagnesian minerals, aluminum phosphate minerals, meteoric minerals, and other minerals containing rare earth elements, but it occurs in trace amounts.