Kulanite

Kulanite is a very barium that is a rare mineral that is one of several rare minerals that have recently begun to leave the Yukon Territory. The Formula Of  Kulanite is Ba(Fe2+, Mn, Mg)2Al2(PO4)3(OH)3 (Barium Iron Manganese Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide) and its molecular weight is 637.65 gm. Crystals are small so gems usually are very small. Moh’s Hardness is 4.0. Although tiny, gems are appealing with colors ranging from Blue to Green. Crystal habit As plates, to 1.5 cm, tabular on {101}, with {101}, {100}, {001}, {011}, {161}, several others; aggregated in rosettes. Commonly in zoned intergrowth with penikisite.

Kulanite comes from Cross-cut Creek, 1.5 km upstream through the confluence with Rapid Creek, Big Fish-Blow River area, Yukon Territory, Canada. Within the White Picacho district, Maricopa and Yavapai Counties, Arizona, and during the Palermo no. 1 mine, North Groton, Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA. From the Xiyuantou pegmatite, Nanping, Fujian Province, China.

 

Chemical Formula: Ba(Fe2+,Mn,Mg)2Al2(PO4)3(OH)3
Barium Iron Manganese Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide
Molecular Weight: 637.65 gm
Composition: 
Barium 21.54 % Ba 24.05 % BaO
Magnesium 0.76 % Mg 1.26 % MgO
Manganese 5.17 % Mn 6.67 % MnO
Aluminum 8.46 % Al 15.99 % Al2O3
Iron 11.39 % Fe 14.65 % FeO
Phosphorus 14.57 % P 33.39 % P2O5
Hydrogen 0.47 % H 4.24 % H2O
Oxygen 37.64 % O
  100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE
 

 

Crystallography: Monoclinic – Prismatic
Crystal Habit: As plates, to 1.5 cm, tabular on {101}, with {101}, {100}, {001}, {011}, {161}, several others; aggregated in rosettes. Commonly in zoned intergrowth with penikisite.
Twinning: None

 

Cleavage: {010} Good, {100} Good
Fracture: Irregular/Uneven, Conchoidal
Tenacity: Brittle
Moh’s Hardness: 4.0
Density: 3.91 (g/cm3)
Luminescence: None
Radioactivity: Not Radioactive
Other: S

 

Color: Blue, Blue-Green, Green, Black-Green
Transparency: Transparent to Translucent
Luster: Adamantine, Vitreous
Refractive Index: 1.703 – 1.723  Biaxial ( + )
Birefringence: 0.020
Dispersion: Very Stong and asymmetrical; r > v
Pleochroism: X = brownish green; Y = green; Z = very pale brown.