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Ikaite

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Big Photo

Olenitsa River, White Sea Coast, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast', Northern Region, Russia
© Jan Gioia Styer-Gold




Formula:
CaCO
 
3
 · 6H
 
2
O
System:Monoclinic
Name:For the type locality Ika Fjord, Greenland.


Readily dehydrates to calcite above 8°C.
The resulting pseudomorph of calcite after ikaite is also called "glendonite."

Classification of Ikaite

IMA status:Approved
Strunz 8th edition ID:5/D.01-60
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:5.CB.25

5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
C : Carbonates without additional anions, with H2O
B : With large cations (alkali and alkali-earth carbonates)
Dana 8th edition ID:15.1.4.1

15 : HYDRATED NORMAL CARBONATES
1 : A(XO3)·xH2O
Hey's CIM Ref.:11.4.5

11 : Carbonates
4 : Carbonates of Ca
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Type Occurrence of Ikaite

Type Locality:Ikka-Grønnedal complex, Ikka Firth (Ika fjord), Ivittuut (Ivigtut), Arsuk Firth, Arsuk, Kitaa (West Greenland) Province, Greenland
Year of Discovery:1962

Occurrences of Ikaite

Geological Setting:Forms in sea water and lake water in anerobic, organic-rich periglacial and glaciomarine environments near 0°C, readily converting to calcite at higher temperatures.

Crystallography of Ikaite

Crystal System:Monoclinic
Cell Parameters:a = 8.87Å, b = 8.23Å, c = 11.02Å
β = 110.2°
Ratio:a:b:c = 1.078 : 1 : 1.339
Unit Cell Volume:V 754.98 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Optical Data of Ikaite

Type:Biaxial (-)
RI values: nα = 1.455 nβ = 1.538 nγ = 1.545
2V:Measured: 45° , Calculated: 30°
Maximum Birefringence:δ = 0.090

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:Low
Dispersion:distinct

Chemical Properties of Ikaite

Formula:
CaCO
 
3
 · 6H
 
2
O
Essential elements:C, Ca, H, O
All elements listed in formula:C, Ca, H, O

Relationship of Ikaite to other Species

Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
5.CB.05Thermonatrite
Na
 
2
CO
 
3
 · H
 
2
O
5.CB.10Natron
Na
 
2
CO
 
3
 · 10H
 
2
O
5.CB.15Trona
Na
 
3
H(CO
 
3
)
 
2
 · 2H
 
2
O
5.CB.20Monohydrocalcite
CaCO
 
3
 · H
 
2
O
5.CB.30Pirssonite
Na
 
2
Ca(CO
 
3
)
 
2
 · 2H
 
2
O
5.CB.35Gaylussite
Na
 
2
Ca(CO
 
3
)
 
2
 · 5H
 
2
O
5.CB.40Chalconatronite
Na
 
2
Cu(CO
 
3
)
 
2
 · 3H
 
2
O
5.CB.45Baylissite
K
 
2
Mg(CO
 
3
)
 
2
 · 4H
 
2
O
5.CB.50Tuliokite
Na
 
6
BaTh(CO
 
3
)
 
6
 · 6H
 
2
O
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
11.4.1Calcite
CaCO
 
3
11.4.2Aragonite
CaCO
 
3
11.4.3Vaterite
CaCO
 
3
11.4.4Monohydrocalcite
CaCO
 
3
 · H
 
2
O
11.4.6Dolomite
CaMg(CO
 
3
)
 
2
11.4.7Huntite
CaMg
 
3
(CO
 
3
)
 
4
11.4.8Sergeevite
Ca
 
2
Mg
 
11
(CO
 
3
)
 
13
 · 10H
 
2
O

Other Names for Ikaite

Synonyms:
IMA1962-005
Other Languages:
German:Ikait
Russian:Икаит
Spanish:Ikaita

Other Information

Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

References for Ikaite

Reference List:

- +
Pauly, H. (1963) “Ikaite”, a new mineral from Greenland. Arctic, 16, 263–264.

American Mineralogist (1964): 49: 439.

Dickens, B. and Brown, W.E. (1970): The crystal structure of calcium carbonate hexahydrate at ~120°C. Inorganic Chemistry, 9, 480–486.

Suess, E., Balzer, W., Hesse, K.-F., Muller, P.J., Ungerer, C.A., and Wefer, G. (1982): Calcium carbonate hexahydrate from organic rich sediments of the Antarctic shelf: precursors of glendonites. Science, 216, 1128–1131.

Hesse, K. -F., Kuppers, H., Suess, E. (1983): Refinement of the structure of Ikaite, CaCO3.6H2O. Zeitschrift für Kristallographie 163, 227-231.

Bischoff, J.L, Fitzpatrick, J.A., and Rosenbauer, R.J. (1992): The solubility and stabilization of ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) from 0° to 25°C: Environmental and paleoclimatic implications for thinolite tufa. Journal of Geology, 101, 21–33.

Bischoff, J. L., Stine, S., Rosenbauer, R. J., Fitzpatrick, J. A., Stafford Jr, T. W. (1993): Ikaite precipitation by mixing of shoreline springs and lake water, Mono Lake, California, USA. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 57, 3855-3856.

Buchardt, B., Seaman, P., Stockmann, G., Wilken, M.V.U., Duwel, L., Kristiansen, A., Jenner, C., Whiticar, M. J., Kristensen R.M., Petersen, G.H., and Thorbjorn, L. (1997): Submarine columns of ikaite tufa. Nature, 390, 129–130.

Dieckmann, G. S., Nehrke, G., Papadimitriou, S., Göttlicher, J., Steininger, R., Kennedy, H., Wolf-Gladrow, D., and Thomas, D. N. (2008): Calcium carbonate as ikaite crystals in Antarctic sea ice. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L08501.

M. B. Oehlerich, N. Sánchez-Pastor, C. Mayr, B. Kremer, E. Griesshaber, W. W. Schmahl, A. Lücke, C. Ohlendorf and B. Zolitschka (2009): On the Study of Natural and Synthetic Ikaite Crystals. Macla 11, 135-136. [http://www.ehu.es/sem/macla_pdf/macla11/Macla11_135.pdf]

Dieckmann, GS; Nehrke, G; Uhlig, C; Gottlicher, J; Gerland, S; Granskog, MA; Thomas, DN. (2010): Brief Communication: Ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) discovered in Arctic sea ice. CRYOSPHERE 4 (2), 227-230.

Žák K., Skála R., Filippi M., Plášil J. (2010): Ikait - málo známý minerál zaledněných jeskyní: výskyt v občasném sezónním zalednění jeskyně Koda (Český kras). Bulletin mineralogicko-petrologického oddělení Národního muzea v Praze 18 (1), 109-115. [Ikaite on surface of seasonal cave ice formations]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikaite [many further references]

Internet Links for Ikaite

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  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
  • Ikaite details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
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    • Localities for Ikaite

    The map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
    Hide Locality List
    (TL) indicates type locality. ? indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality. All other localities listed without reference should be considered as uncertain and unproven until references can be found.
    Antarctica
     
    • Eastern Antarctica
    		Dieckmann, G. S., Nehrke, G., Papadimitriou, S., Göttlicher, J., Steininger, R., Kennedy, H., Wolf-Gladrow, D., and Thomas, D. N. (2008): Calcium carbonate as ikaite crystals in Antarctic sea ice. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L08501.
    • Western Antarctica
      • Antarctic Peninsula
    		AmMin 86:1530-1533 (2001)
    Dieckmann, G. S., Nehrke, G., Papadimitriou, S., Göttlicher, J., Steininger, R., Kennedy, H., Wolf-Gladrow, D., and Thomas, D. N. (2008): Calcium carbonate as ikaite crystals in Antarctic sea ice. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L08501.
    Czech Republic
     
    • Bohemia (Böhmen; Boehmen)
      • Central Bohemia Region
        • Beroun (Beraun)
    		Žák K., Skála R., Filippi M., Plášil J. (2010): Ikait - málo známý minerál zaledněných jeskyní: výskyt v občasném sezónním zalednění jeskyně Koda (Český kras). Bulletin mineralogicko-petrologického oddělení Národního muzea v Praze 18, 109-115.
    Greenland
     
    • Kitaa (West Greenland) Province
      • Arsuk
        • Arsuk Firth
          • Ivittuut (Ivigtut)
            • Ikka Firth (Ika fjord)
    		Am Min 49 (1964), 439
    Japan
     
    • Hokkaido
      • Tokachi Province
        • Ashoro-cho (Asyoro-tyo)
    		Genko. 91(6). 209-219
    Russia
     
    • Northern Region
      • Murmanskaja Oblast'
        • Kola Peninsula
    		www.koeln.netsurf.de/~w.steffens/khib.htm
          • White Sea Coast
    		Jan Styer-Gold specimen and photo
    USA
     
    • California
      • Mono Co.
    		Geology 21:971-974.
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