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Columbite

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Emmons Quarry (Uncle Tom Mt. Quarry), Greenwood, Oxford Co., Maine, USA
© SMS 2005

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Formula:
(Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)
 
2
O
 
6
System:Orthorhombic


When not prefixed the name Columbite usually refers to Ferrocolumbite. Columbite covers the series from Ferrocolumbite to Manganocolumbite. [Clark, 1993 - "Hey's Mineral Index"]

Classification of Columbite

Hey's CIM Ref.:18.1.44

18 : Niobates and Tantalates
1 : Niobates and tantalates containing neither rare earths nor U
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Crystallography of Columbite

Crystal System:Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:Pbcn (P21/b 2/c 21/n)
Morphology:Short prismatic [001]; less commonly [100] or [010]; alsom equant. Often rectangular prisms with the pinacoids prominent. Thin tabular {010} or thick tabular {100} at times. Less often pyramidal, and then with {111} dominant. In large groups of parallel or subparallel crystals. Massive.
Twinning:1. Twin plane {201} common. Usually contact twins, heart-shaped and exhibiting a delicate featherlike striation on {010}; also penetration twins. Sometimes repeated yielding pseudohexagonal trillings. 2. Twin plane {203} rare. Heart-shaped contact twins striated on {010}; repeated at times, yielding pseudohexagonal trillings. 3. Twin plane {501}, rare. 4. Twin plane {1·50·0}, rare.
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Columbite no.31 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Columbite no.86 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

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Chemical Properties of Columbite

Formula:
(Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)
 
2
O
 
6
Essential elements:Fe, Nb, O
All elements listed in formula:Fe, Mn, Nb, O, Ta

Relationship of Columbite to other Species

Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
18.1.1Lithiotantite
Li(Ta,Nb)
 
3
O
 
8
18.1.2Lueshite
NaNbO
 
3
18.1.3Natroniobite
NaNbO
 
3
18.1.4Franconite
Na
 
2
Nb
 
4
O
 
11
·9H
 
2
O
18.1.5Natrotantite
Na
 
2
Ta
 
4
O
 
11
18.1.6Irtyshite
Na
 
2
(Ta,Nb)
 
4
O
 
11
18.1.7Rankamaite
(Na,K,Pb,Li)
 
3
(Ta,Nb,Al)
 
11
(O,OH)
 
30
18.1.8Kalipyrochlore
(K,Sr)
 
2-x
Nb
 
2
O
 
6
(O,OH)·nH
 
2
O
18.1.9Calciotantite
CaTa
 
4
O
 
11
18.1.10Rynersonite
Ca(Ta,Nb)
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.11Microlite
(Ca,Na)
 
2
Ta
 
2
O
 
6
(O,OH,F)
18.1.12Belyankinite
Ca
 
1-2
(Ti,Zr,Nb)
 
5
O
 
12
 · 9H
 
2
O (?)
18.1.13Latrappite
(Ca,Na)(Nb,Ti,Fe)O
 
3
18.1.14Hochelagaite
(Ca,Na,Sr)(Nb,Ti,Si,Al)
 
4
O
 
11
·8H
 
2
O
18.1.15Bariomicrolite
Ba(Ta,Nb)
 
2
(O,OH)
 
7
18.1.16Parabariomicrolite
BaTa
 
4
O
 
10
(OH)
 
2
·2H
 
2
O
18.1.17Bariopyrochlore
(Ba,Sr)
 
2
(Nb,Ti)
 
2
(O,OH)
 
7
18.1.18Alumotantite
AlTaO
 
4
18.1.19Simpsonite
Al
 
4
(Ta,Nb)
 
3
O
 
13
(OH,F)
18.1.20Sosedkoite
(K,Na)
 
5
Al
 
2
(Ta,Nb)
 
22
O
 
60
18.1.21Thoreaulite
SnTa
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.22Stannomicrolite
(Sn,Fe,Mn)
 
2
(Ta,Nb,Sn)
 
2
(O,OH)
 
7
18.1.23Foordite
(Sn,Pb)(Nb,Ta)
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.24Changbaiite
PbNb
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.25Plumbopyrochlore
(Pb,Y,U,Ca)
 
2-x
Nb
 
2
O
 
6
(OH)
18.1.26Plumbomicrolite
(Pb,Ca,U)
 
2
Ta
 
2
O
 
6
(OH)
18.1.27Stibiocolumbite
Sb(Nb,Ta)O
 
4
18.1.28Stibiotantalite
Sb(Ta,Nb)O
 
4
18.1.29Natrobistantite
(Na,Cs)Bi(Ta,Nb,Sb)
 
4
O
 
12
18.1.30Cesplumtantite
(Cs,Na)
 
2
(Pb,Sb
3+
 
)
 
3
Ta
 
8
O
 
24
18.1.31Stibiomicrolite
(Sb,Ca,Na)
 
2
(Ta,Nb)
 
2
O
 
7
18.1.32Cesstibtantite
(Cs,Na)SbTa
 
4
O
 
12
18.1.33 Stibobetafite
(Ca,Sb)
 
2
(Ti,Nb,Ta)
 
2
(O,OH)
 
7
18.1.34Bismutotantalite
Bi(Ta,Nb)O
 
4
18.1.35Bismutomicrolite
(Bi,Ca)(Ta,Nb)
 
2
O
 
6
(OH)
18.1.36Tantalite-(Mn)
MnTa
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.37Gerasimovskite
(Mn,Ca)(Nb,Ti)
 
5
O
 
12
·9H
 
2
O
18.1.38Tapiolite-(Mn)
(Mn,Fe)(Ta,Nb)
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.39Columbite-(Mn)
(Mn,Fe)(Nb,Ta)
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.40Wodginite
Mn(Sn,Ta)Ta
 
2
O
 
8
18.1.41Ixiolite
(Ta,Nb,Sn,Fe,Mn)
 
4
O
 
8
18.1.42Columbite-(Fe)
FeNb
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.43Tantalite-(Fe)
FeTa
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.45Tantalite
(Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.46Tapiolite
(Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.47Tapiolite-(Fe)
(Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.48Columbite-(Mg)
(Mg,Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)
 
2
O
 
6
18.1.50Strüverite
(Ti,Ta,Fe)O
 
2
18.1.51 Staringite
(Fe,Mn)
 
x
(Ta,Nb)
 
2x
Sn
 
6-3x
O
 
12

Other Names for Columbite

Synonyms:
BaierineBaieriteColumbesenDianite (of von Kobell)Ferro-Ilmenite
Greenlandite (of Breithaupt)Hemiprismatisches TantalerzHermannoliteIlmenite (of Brooke)Kolumbite
Mengite (of Rose)NiobiteOre of ColumbiumTodditeTorrelite (of Thompson)
Other Languages:
French:Tantalite de Bavière
German:Columbit
Baierit
Columbeisen
Hermannolit
Kolumbit
Niobit
Hebrew:קולומביט
Polish:Kolumbit
Portuguese:Columbita
Russian:Колумбит
Spanish:Columbita
Baierita
Hermannolita
Kolumbita
Niobita
Varieties:
Titanocolumbite

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 Columbite

Reference List:Hachett (1802), Royal Society of London, Transactions (as Ore of Columbium).

Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged: 780-787.

Romer, R.L. and Wright, J.E. (1992) U-Pb dating of columbites: a geochronologic tool to date magmatism and ore deposits. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta: 56: 2137-2142.

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    Localities for Columbite

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