Baddeleyite

Phalaborwa, Limpopo Province, South Africa
© Rob Lavinsky

Show Baddeleyite Photos (56)

Formula:

ZrO

System:

Monoclinic

Colour:

Colourless to yellow, ...

Lustre:

Vitreous, Greasy

Hardness:

6½

Name:

For Joseph Baddeley, who first called attention to the Sri Lankan material.

This page provides mineralogical data about Baddeleyite.

Classification of Baddeleyite

IMA status:

Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"

Strunz 8th edition ID:

4/D.31-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:

4.DE.35

4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
D : Metal: Oxygen = 1:2 and similar
E : With medium-sized cations; with various polyhedra

Dana 8th edition ID:

4.4.14.1

4 : SIMPLE OXIDES
4 : AX₂

Hey's CIM Ref.:

7.10.1

7 : Oxides and Hydroxides
10 : Oxides of Zr and Th

mindat.org URL:

http://www.mindat.org/min-480.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

Type Occurrence of Baddeleyite

Type Locality:

Kollonnagam, Rakwana, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

The Natural History Museum, London, England.

Year of Discovery:

1892

Occurrences of Baddeleyite

Geological Setting:

An accessory mineral in carbonatites and kimberlites; in syenites, diabases, gabbros, anorthosites; detrital in gem gravels; also in lunar basalt, tektites and meteorites.

Physical Properties of Baddeleyite

Lustre:

Vitreous, Greasy

Diaphaneity (Transparency):

Transparent

Colour:

Colourless to yellow, green, greenish or reddish brown, brown, iron-black; colourless to brown in transmitted light

Streak:

White to brownish white

Hardness (Mohs):

6½

Tenacity:

Brittle

Cleavage:

Very Good
nearly perfect on {001}, less perfect on {010} and {110}

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven, Sub-Conchoidal

Density (measured):

5.4 - 6.02 g/cm³

Density (calculated):

5.83 g/cm³

Crystallography of Baddeleyite

Crystal System:

Monoclinic

Class (H-M):

2/m - Prismatic

Space Group:

P2₁/b {P1 1 2₁/b} {P2₁/c} {P1 2₁/c 1} {P2₁/a}

Cell Parameters:

a = 5.1505Å, b = 5.2116Å, c = 5.3173Å
β = 99.23°

Ratio:

a:b:c = 0.988 : 1 : 1.02

Unit Cell Volume:

V 140.88 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

Crystals commonly tabular on {100} and somewhat elongated on [010], or short to long prismatic along [001], to 6 cm; rarely equant; prism faces striated parallel to [001]; also botryoidal masses with radially fibrous structure and concentric banding.

Twinning:

Ubiquitous; on {100} and {110}, both may be polysynthetic; rare on {201}.

X-Ray Powder Diffraction:

Image Loading

Radiation - Copper Kα
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

X-Ray Powder Diffraction:

d-spacing		Intensity
3.15		(10)
2.835		(9)
2.62		(5)
1.817		(5)
3.66		(4)
3.51		(4)

Comments:

Recorded on material from Palabora Mine, South Africa

Optical Data of Baddeleyite

Type:

Biaxial (-)

RI values:

n_α = 2.130 n_β = 2.190 n_γ = 2.200

2V:

Measured: 30° to 31°, Calculated: 28°

Maximum Birefringence:

δ = 0.070

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.

Surface Relief:

Very High

Dispersion:

r > v, rather strong

Comments:

X = yellow, reddish brown, oil-green; Y = oil-green, reddish brown; Z = brown, light brown; Orientation: X vs. c = 13°, Y = b

Chemical Properties of Baddeleyite

Formula:

ZrO

Essential elements:

O, Zr

All elements listed in formula:

O, Zr

CAS Registry number:

1314-23-4

CAS Registry numbers are published by the American Chemical Society

Analytical Data:

Analysis of material from Balangoda, Sri Lanka

SiO2 (0.19)
ZrO2 (98.90)
Fe2O3 (0.83)
CaO (0.06)
LOI (0.28) (loss on ignition)

sum 100.25 wt.-%

Common Impurities:

Ca,Fe,Hf,Si,Ti

Relationship of Baddeleyite to other Species

4.DE.05

Downeyite

SeO

4.DE.10

Koragoite

(Mn

,Fe

)

(Nb,Ta,Ti)

(Nb,Mn)

(W,Ta)

4.DE.15

Koechlinite

(BiO)

[MoO

]

4.DE.15

Russellite

(BiO)

[WO

]

4.DE.15

Tungstibite

4.DE.20

Tellurite

TeO

4.DE.25

Paratellurite

TeO

4.DE.30

Bismutotantalite

Bi(Ta,Nb)O

4.DE.30

Bismutocolumbite

Bi(Nb,Ta)O

4.DE.30

Cervantite

4.DE.30

Stibiotantalite

Sb(Ta,Nb)O

4.DE.30

Stibiocolumbite

Sb(Nb,Ta)O

4.DE.30

Clinocervantite

7.10.2

Arkelite

ZrO

7.10.3

Painite

CaZrAl

|BO

]

7.10.4

Srilankite

ZrO

7.10.5

Zirconolite

CaZrTi

7.10.6

Calzirtite

CaZr

TiO

7.10.7

Tazheranite

(Zr,Ti,Ca)O

7.10.8

Zirkelite

(Ti,Ca,Zr)O

2-x

7.10.9

Uhligite

(Ti,Al,Zr)

7.10.10

Thorianite

ThO

Other Names for Baddeleyite

Synonyms:

Baddeleyite (of Fletcher)

Brazilite (of Hussak)

Reitingerite

Other Languages:

German:	Baddeleyit Buddleyit Reitingerit
Russian:	Бадделеит
Spanish:	Baddeleyita Caldasita Reitingerita

Varieties:

Caldasite

Other Information

Fluorescence in UV light:

Shows a blue-green cathodoluminescence

Health Warning:

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

External Links

Search for toxicity information at the United States National Library of Medicine

References for Baddeleyite

Reference List:

Fletcher (1892), Nature: 46: 620.

Hussak (1892), Jb. Min.: 2: 141.

Fletcher (1893), Mineralogical Magazine: 10: 148.

Hussak (1895), Min. Mitt.: 14: 395.

Zambonini (1912), Acc. Napoli, Att.: 15: 1.

Yardley (1920), Mineralogical Magazine: 21: 169.

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: 608-610.

Heimstra, S. A. (1955): Baddeleyite from Phalaborwa, Eastern Transvaal. American Mineralogist 40, 275-282.

Keil, K. and Fricker, P. E. (1974): Baddeleyite (ZrO2) in gabbroic rocks from Axel Heiberg island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. American Mineralogist 59, 249-253.

Scatena-Wachel, D. E. and Jones, A. P. (1984): Primary baddeleyite (ZrO2) in kimberlite from Benfontein, South Africa. Mineralogical Magazine 48, 257-261.

Howard, C. J., Hill, R. J. and Reichert, B. E. (1988): Structures of the ZrO2 polymorphs at room temperature by high-resolution neutron powder diffraction. Acta Crystallographica 44, 116-120.

Heaman, L. M. and LeCheminant, A. N. (1993): Paragenesis and U-Pb systematics of baddeleyite (ZrO2). Chemical Geology. 110, 95-126.

Bayanova, T. B., Kirnarsky, Yu. M. and Levkovich, N. V. (1997): U-Pb isotope dating of baddeleyite from rocks of the Kovdor massif. Doklady Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk 356: 509-511 (in Russian).

Anthony, J. W. et al. (1997): Handbook of Mineralogy, Vol. 3, 33.