U6+ O2 (CO3 )Rutherfordine
c 2001-2005 Mineral Data Publishing, version 1

Crystal Data: Orthorhombic. Point Group: mm2. Crystals are lathlike, elongatedalong [001], with large {100}, {010}, {001}, to 3 mm; commonly radiating, fibrous, matted, inpulverulent, earthy to very fine-grained dense masses.
Physical Properties: Cleavage: On {010}, perfect; on {001}, less perfect. Hardness = n.d.
D(meas.) = 5.7 D(calc.) = 5.682 Radioactive.
Optical Properties: Semitransparent. Color: Pale yellow, straw-yellow, greenish yellow,orange, amber-brown, may be zoned. Luster: Dull to earthy, silky if fibrous.
Optical Class: Biaxial (+). Pleochroism: Slight; X = colorless; Y = pale yellow; Z = palegreenish yellow. Orientation: X = b; Y = c; Z = a. α = 1.715–1.723 β = 1.728–1.730
γ = 1.755–1.795 2V(meas.) = Large. 2V(calc.) = 53◦
Cell Data:

Space Group: Imm2. a = 4.840(1)b = 9.273(2)c = 4.298(1)Z=2

X-ray Powder Pattern: Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania.
4.61 (100), 4.30 (70), 3.23 (40), 3.92 (30), 2.64 (25), 2.309 (20), 2.062 (20)
Chemistry:
CO2UO3
H2 O+(1)
13.1
86.7
0.2

(2)
13.6
86.6

(3)
13.33
86.67

Total
[100.0]100.2
100.00(1) Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania; recalculated to 100% from an original total of 100.3%, after
deduction of Pb and Ca as kasolite and uranophane, and remaining FeO and CaO as impurities.
(2) Katanga Province, Congo. (3) UO2 (CO3 ).
Occurrence:

A secondary mineral formed as a weathering product of uraninite.

Association: Uraninite, becquerelite, masuyite, schoepite, kasolite, curite, boltwoodite,vandendriesscheite, billietite, metatorbernite, fourmarierite, studtite, sklodowskite.
Distribution: From the Uluguru Mountains, Morogoro district, Tanzania. At Shinkolobwe,
from Kalongwe, and in the Musonoi mine, near Kolwezi, Katanga Province, Congo (ShabaProvince, Zaire). In the USA, from Beryl Mountain, Acworth, Sullivan Co., and in the Palermo
mine, near North Groton, Grafton Co., New Hampshire; at Newry, Oxford Co., Maine. In Utah,from the Delta mine, Emery Co., and in the “C” group of claims and the Jomac mine, WhiteCanyon district, San Juan Co.; from the Lucky Mc No. 20 mine, Wind River Basin, FremontCo., Wyoming; near McCoy, Eagle Co., and in the Maybell area, Moffat Co., Colorado; fromthe Apex uranium mine, Reese River district, Lander Co., Nevada. In England, at Loe Warrenzawn, 0.75 km west of Botallack, St. Just, and in the South Terras mine, St. Stephen-in-Brannel,Cornwall. At the Les Mares and Rabéjac uranium deposits, south of Lodève, Hérault, France.
From the Krunkelbachtal mine, near Menzenschwand, Black Forest, Germany. In Australia,
from the Nabarlek uranium deposit, Northern Territory, and at the Coppertop mine, Peake andDenison Ranges, South Australia.
Name: Honors Professor Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937), New Zealand–English atomicphysicist.
Type Material: Natural History Museum, Paris, 109.1083; National Museum of NaturalHistory, Washington, D.C., USA, 93291.
References: (1) Palache, C., H. Berman, and C. Frondel (1951) Dana’s system of mineralogy,(7th edition), v. II, 274–275. (2) Frondel, C. and R. Meyerowitz (1956) Studies of uranium
minerals (XIX): rutherfordine, diderichite, and clarkeite. Amer. Mineral., 41, 127–133. (3) Clark,J.R. and C.L. Christ (1956) Some observations on rutherfordine. Amer. Mineral., 41, 844–850.
(4) Finch, R.J., M.A. Cooper, and F.C. Hawthorne (1999) Refinement of the crystal structure ofrutherfordine. Can. Mineral., 37, 929–938.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted inany form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written
permission of Mineral Data Publishing.