Probertite
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Formula:
NaCaB5O7(OH)4 · 3H2O
Colour:
Colourless; colourless in transmitted light
Lustre:
Vitreous
Hardness:
3½
Specific Gravity:
2.14
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Name:
Named in honor of Frank Holman Probert (13 June 1876, London, England – 7 May 1940, Berkeley, California, USA), Dean of the Mining College, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA, who provided the first specimens.
Type Locality:
This page provides mineralogical data about Probertite.
Classification of Probertite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
5/J.05-30
6.EB.15
6 : BORATES
E : Pentaborates
B : Ino-pentaborates
6 : BORATES
E : Pentaborates
B : Ino-pentaborates
26.5.12.1
26 : HYDRATED BORATES CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
5 : Pentaborates
26 : HYDRATED BORATES CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
5 : Pentaborates
9.3.20
9 : Borates
3 : Borates of Ca and Sr
9 : Borates
3 : Borates of Ca and Sr
Physical Properties of Probertite
Vitreous
Transparency:
Transparent
Colour:
Colourless; colourless in transmitted light
Streak:
White
Hardness:
3½ on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Perfect
On {110}.
On {110}.
Density:
2.14 g/cm3 (Measured) 2.13 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Probertite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.514 nβ = 1.524 nγ = 1.543
2V:
Measured: 73° , Calculated: 74°
Max Birefringence:
δ = 0.029

Image shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness)
and does not take into account mineral colouration.
and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:
Low
Dispersion:
relatively weak
Chemical Properties of Probertite
Formula:
NaCaB5O7(OH)4 · 3H2O
Crystallography of Probertite
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Class (H-M):
2/m - Prismatic
Cell Parameters:
a = 13.43 Å, b = 12.57 Å, c = 6.58 Å
β = 100.25°
β = 100.25°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 1.068 : 1 : 0.523
Unit Cell V:
1,093.08 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Morphology:
Crystals aggregated into rosettes or radial groups of needles or laths. Spherulitic; as tough, compactly reticulated aggregates. Single crystals rare. Crystals acicular [001], commonly flattened {100} (slightly to considerably); also flattened {110}, rare. Faces "b," "a," and "m" usually striated [001] and rounded.
Twinning:
Doubtful under the microscope.
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Image Loading
Radiation - Copper Kα
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Type Occurrence of Probertite
Synonyms of Probertite
Other Language Names for Probertite
Common Associates
Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping
6.EB.05 | Larderellite | (NH4)B5O7(OH)2 · H2O | Mon. |
6.EB.10 | Ezcurrite | Na4B10O17 · 7H2O | Tric. 1 : P1 |
6.EB.20 | Tertschite | Ca4B10O19 · 20H2O | |
6.EB.25 | Priceite | Ca2B5O7(OH)5 · H2O | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
Related Minerals - Dana Grouping (8th Ed.)
26.5.12.2 | Tuzlaite | NaCaB5O8(OH)2 · 3H2O | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
Related Minerals - Hey's Chemical Index of Minerals Grouping
9.3.1 | Calciborite | Ca(B2O4) | Orth. |
9.3.2 | Sibirskite | Ca2(HB2O5)(OH) | Mon. |
9.3.3 | Fabianite | CaB3O5OH | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
9.3.4 | Uralborite | Ca2[B3O3(OH)5 · OB(OH)3] | Mon. |
9.3.5 | Vimsite | CaB2O2(OH)4 | Mon. |
9.3.6 | Olshanskyite | Ca2[B3O3(OH)6](OH) · 3H2O | |
9.3.7 | Frolovite | Ca[B(OH)4]2 | Tric. |
9.3.8 | Korzhinskite | Ca(B2O4) · H2O | |
9.3.9 | Tyretskite | Ca2B5O9OH · H2O | Tric. |
9.3.10 | Nifontovite | Ca3B6O6(OH)12(H2O)2 | Mon. |
9.3.12 | Inyoite | Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O | Mon. 2/m |
9.3.13 | Gowerite | Ca[B5O8(OH)][B(OH)3] · 3H2O | Mon. |
9.3.14 | Colemanite | Ca[B3O4(OH)3] · H2O | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
9.3.15 | Pentahydroborite | CaB2O(OH)6 · 2H2O | Tric. |
9.3.16 | Hexahydroborite | Ca[B(OH)4]2 · 2H2O or CaB2O4 · 6H2O | Mon. 2/m : B2/b |
9.3.17 | Meyerhofferite | Ca2(H3B3O7)2 · 4H2O | Tric. 1 : P1 |
9.3.18 | Priceite | Ca2B5O7(OH)5 · H2O | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
9.3.19 | Ginorite | Ca2B14O20(OH)6 · 5H2O | Mon. |
9.3.21 | Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O | Tric. 1 : P1 |
9.3.22 | Hydroboracite | CaMg[B3O4(OH)3]2 · 3H2O | Mon. |
9.3.23 | Inderborite | CaMg(H3B3O7)2 · 8H2O | Mon. 2/m |
9.3.24 | Wardsmithite | Ca5Mg[B4O7]6 · 30H2O | Hex. |
9.3.25 | Henmilite | Ca2Cu[B(OH)4]2(OH)4 | Tric. |
9.3.26 | Strontioborite | SrB8O11(OH)4 | Mon. |
9.3.27 | Veatchite | Sr2B11O16(OH)5 · H2O | Mon. m : Bb |
9.3.28 | Veatchite-A | Sr2B11O16(OH)5 · H2O | Tric. |
9.3.29 | P-Veatchite | Sr2B11O16(OH)5 · H2O | |
9.3.30 | Balavinskite | Sr2B6O11 · 4H2O | |
9.3.31 | Tunellite | SrB6O9(OH)2 · 3H2O | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
9.3.32 | Strontioginorite | CaSrB14O20(OH)6 · 5H2O | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
Other Information
Notes:
Readily soluble in dilute acids. Partially decomposed in hot or cold water, with Na being leached relative to Ca.
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
References for Probertite
Reference List:
Sort by Year (asc) | by Year (desc) | by Author (A-Z) | by Author (Z-A)
Eakle, A.S. (1929) Probertite, a new borate. American Mineralogist: 14: 427-430.
Schaller, W.T. (1930) Borate minerals from the Kramer District Mohave Desert, California. USGS Professional Paper 158: 137. (as Kramerite).
Foshag, W.F. (1930) New mineral names. American Mineralogist: 15: 274-276.
Foshag (1931) American Mineralogist: 16: 338.
Barnes (1949) American Mineralogist: 34: 19, 611.
Palache, C., Berman, H., and Frondel, C. (1951) The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana, Yale University 1837-1892, Volume II. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 7th edition, revised and enlarged: 343-345.
Clark, J.R. and Christ, C.L. (1959) Studies of borate minerals, V: Reinvestigation of the X-ray crystallography of ulexite and probertite: American Mineralogist: 44: 712-719.
Rumanova, I.M., Kurbanova, K.M., and Belov, N.V. (1966) Determination of the crystal structure of probertite CaNa[B5O7(OH)4]. Soviet Physics-Crystallography: 10: 513-522.
Acta Crystallographica (1982) B38: 3072-3075.
Grew, E.S. and Anovitz, L.M. (1996) BORON: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry, second edition, as revised (2002).
Internet Links for Probertite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3285.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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Localities for Probertite
Locality List




All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Argentina | |
| Bull. Soc. Franç. Minéralo. Cristallo. , 1974, 97, p. 497.; Alonso, R. N. (1999). On the origin of La Puna borates. Acta geológica hispánica, 34(2), 141-166.; CAHIT HELVACI & RICARDO N. ALONSO (2000) Borate Deposits of Turkey and Argentina; A Summary and Geological Comparison. Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, 9:1-27. |
Canada | |
| CanRockhound v.6, n.1 (2001) |
Chile | |
| American Mineralogist: 79: 1003-1008. |
| American Mineralogist: 79: 1003-1008. |
Germany | |
| Siemroth, J. (2008): Das Vorkommen von Boratmineralien im Werra-Anhydrit des Steinbruchs Kohnstein bei Niedersachswerfen am Südharz, Der Aufschluss, Vol. 59, 353-366 |
Turkey | |
| J. García-Veigas, L. Rosell, X. Alcobé, I. Subias, F. Ortí, I. Gündogan and C. Helvaci (2010) Fontarnauite, a New Sulphate-Borate Mineral from the Emet Borate District (Turkey). Macla 13, 97-98. |
| García-Veigas, J., & Helvacı, C. (2013). Mineralogy and sedimentology of the Miocene Göcenoluk borate deposit, Kırka district, western Anatolia, Turkey. Sedimentary Geology, 290, 85-96. |
Koçak, İ. & Koç, Ş. (2016): Geochemical characteristics of Kırka (Sarıkaya) borate deposit, northwestern Anatolia, Turkey. Journal of Earth System Science: 125: 147-164; http://forum.amiminerals.it/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12548 (2016) | |
| CAHIT HELVACI & RICARDO N. ALONSO (2000) Borate Deposits of Turkey and Argentina; A Summary and Geological Comparison. Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 9, 2000, pp. 1-27 |
| CAHIT HELVACI & RICARDO N. ALONSO (2000) Borate Deposits of Turkey and Argentina; A Summary and Geological Comparison. Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 9, 2000, pp. 1-27; Helvaci, C. (1994). Mineral assemblages and formation of the Kestelek and Sultancayir borate deposits. Proc. 29th Intl. Geol. Congr. Part A, 245-284.; Helvaci, C., Mordogan, H., Çolak, M., & Gündogan, I. (2004). Presence and distribution of lithium in borate deposits and some recent lake waters of west-central Turkey. International Geology Review, 46(2), 177-190. |
USA | |
| Econ Geol (1996) 91:622-635 |
| Foshag, William Frederick (1931b), Probertite from Ryan, California: American Mineralogist: 16: 338-341; Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 376. |
Foshag, William Frederick (1931b), Probertite from Ryan, California: American Mineralogist: 16: 338-341; Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 256. | |
Mineralogical Record: 27: 35-40. | |
Anonymous (1963), California Division of Mines and Geology, Mineral Information Service: California Mineral Production 1962: 16(1): 9; Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 154, 377; Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Report 26, "Guidebook: Las Vegas to Death Valley and Return," Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada - Reno, 1976.; Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 256. | |
Foshag, William Frederick (1931b), Probertite from Ryan, California: American Mineralogist: 16: 338-341; Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 256. | |
Am Min (1931), 16:338-341 | |
| Noble, Levi Fatzinger (1926b), Note on a colemanite deposit near Shoshone, California, with a sketch of the geology of a part of Amargosa Valley: USGS Bulletin 785: 63, 72; Nolan, Thomas Brennan (1964), Geological Survey Research 1963, Summary of investigations: USGS PP 475-A: 11; Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 249, 256. |
| Nolan, Thomas Brennan (1964), Geological Survey Research 1963, Summary of investigations: USGS PP 475-A: 11. Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 153. |
Nolan, Thomas Brennan (1964), Geological Survey Research 1963, Summary of investigations: USGS PP 475-A: A-11; Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 295, 377. | |
| www.mineralsocal.org |
Eakle, Arthur Starr (1929), Probertite, a new borate: American Mineralogist: 14: 427-430; Schaller, Waldemar Theodore (1930), Borate minerals from the Kramer district, Mohave Desert, California: USGS PP 158-I: 137-170; […Mineralogical Magazine: 22: 622 (1931)]: 139; Murdoch, Joseph (1945), Probertite from Los Angeles County, California: American Mineralogist: 30: 720; Gale, Hoyt Stoddard (1946), Geology of the Kramer borate district, Kern County, California: California Division Mines Report 42: 362; Morgan, V. and Erd, R.C. (1969) Minerals of the Kramer borate district, California California Division of Mines and Geology Mineral Information Service: 22(9): 152, Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 132, 256; Cal Div of Mines & Geology "Mineral Information Service" V. 22 N. 10 Oct 1969 | |
Smith, George Irving, Hy Almond, & D.L. Sawyer, Jr. (1958), Sassolite from the Kramer borate district, California: American Mineralogist: 43: 1070; Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 333; Morgan, V. and Erd, R.C. (1969) Minerals of the Kramer borate district, California California Division of Mines and Geology Mineral Information Service: 22: 147; Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 137. | |
| Amer.Min.(1928) 13, 452-453; Nickel & Nichols (1991) Mineral Reference Maual; Frondel C, Morgan V (1956) Inderite and gerstleyite from the Kramer borate district, Kern County, California. American Mineralogist 41, 839-843 |
P Haas collection; Have collected them in the mine-Rock Currier | |
| Foshag, William Frederick (1918), Ulexite from Lang, California: American Mineralogist: 3: 35; Foshag, William Frederick (1921), The origin of the colemanite deposits of California: Economic Geology: 16: 199-214; Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines & Geology Bulletin 189: 377. |
| Murdoch, Joseph (1945), Probertite from Los Angeles County, California: American Mineralogist: 30: 719-721; Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand Reinholt Press: 258. |
| Rocks & Minerals 72:4 pp 252-264 |
| Rocks & Min. vol. 72 (1997) |
| Rocks & Minerals: 72(4): 252-264. |
Kohnstein Quarry, Niedersachswerfen, Nordhausen, Harz, Thuringia, Germany