How do I identify Tantite?

Tantite can be identified by its hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, Colourless color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Tantite?

Tantite typically appears in Colourless. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

Tantite has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. This makes it a relatively hard mineral suitable for jewelry.

Tantite

A variety of Minerals

What is Tantite?

Tantite is a rare tantalum oxide mineral with formula: Ta2O5. Tantite forms transparent microscopic colorless triclinic - pedial crystals with an adamantine luster. It has a Mohs hardness of 7 and a high specific gravity of 8.45. Chemical analyses show minor inclusion (1.3%) of niobium oxide. It was first described in 1983 for an occurrence in a pegmatite in the Kola peninsula, Russia. It has also been reported from a pegmatite complex in Florence County, Wisconsin. Associated mineral species include elbaite, lepidolite, spodumene, columbite-tantalite, wodginite, and microlite.