(Arcu su Linnarbu, Capoterra, Cagliari, Sardegna, Italia)
The Arcu su Linnarbu deposit is located near Capoterra, in Sulcis, to the south of Monte Arcosu, in the neighborhood of the ancient San Leone mine (separate locality).
This deposit is poor in primary U minerals but the secondary ones are very abundant.
Arcu su Linnarbu area is one of the few Italian localities where it is possible to collect well formed crystals of radioactive species, some of which are very rare.
In 1956 the SOMIREN, a society of ENI group, made a radioactive mineral search also in Sardinia. The works carried out at Arcu su Linnarbu showed the industrial irrelevance of this U deposit and so any operation ceased. In 1980-1982 a new field campaign carried out by AGIP Nucleare S.p.A., jointly with Ente Minerario Sardo, confirmed the conclusions of the previous prospects.
The geology of this area is dominated by the presence of Mt. Arcosu granitic mass, which intrusion has generated the usual thermometamorphic ring around the intrusion. The previous Cambrian schists have been transformed also in magnetite skarns and appear deeply silicified. The uranium minerals have been found in siliceous breccia located at the contact between the granite and the schists. It is also deeply permeated by Fe oxides.
References:
- Pietracaprina A., 1963. I minerali di uranio in Sardegna. Studi Sassaresi, Sassari. Sez. III, 11: 587-650.
-Ravagnani D., 1974. I giacimenti uraniferi italiani e i loro minerali - Gruppo Mineralogico Lombardo-Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano - Milano, 1974, pp. 160-164
- Vochten R., Brizzi G., 1987. Bassetite and other uranium minerals from Arcu su Linnarbu, Capoterra, Cagliari, Sardinia. Mineralogical Record 18:3, 181-184
- Stara A., Tanca G., Rizzo R., Ibba A., 1996. Cacoxenite, wavellite ed altri fosfati in Sardegna. Riv. Miner. Ital., 20, 4: 321-323.
- Vochten R., Van Springel K., 1996. A natural ferrous substituted saléeite from Arcu su Linnarbu, Capoterra, Cagliari, Sardinia. Mineral. Mag., 60: 647-651.
- Senesi F., 1998. Churcite-(Y). Ritrovamento nel giacimento uranifero di Arcu su Linnarbu, Capoterra, Cagliari. Riv. Miner. Ital., 22, 2: 42.
- Frau F., Sabelli C., 2000. Soddyite, a mineral new to Italy, from Arcu su Linnarbu, Sardinia. N. Jb. Miner. Mh., 2000: 158-164.
- Olmi F., Sabelli C., Senesi F., Stara P., 2002. La mineralizzazione uranifera di Arcu su Linnarbu. Riv. Miner. Ital., 26 (3): 148-169.
- Mascia S., 2003. La ianthinite di Arcu su Linnarbu (Capoterra, Cagliari). Riv. Mineral. Ital., 27 (4): 209-212.
Mineral List:31 entries listed. 31 valid minerals.
The above list contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database!
