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Rouvilleite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Rouvilleite
Formula:
Na3CaMn2+(CO3)3F
formerly given as Na3(Ca,Mn,Fe)2(CO3)3F
Colour:
Colorless to pale tan
Lustre:
Vitreous, Waxy
Hardness:
3
Specific Gravity:
2.67
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Name:
Named after its discovery locality, the Poudrette Quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, in the former Rouville County, QuÃĐbec, Canada.
Unique combination of elements (as of January 2022).
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3465
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3465:0
IMA Classification of Rouvilleite
Approved
IMA Formula:
Na3Ca2(CO3)3F
Approval year:
1989
First published:
1991
Approval history:
IMA 21-I proposal (accepted)
Classification of Rouvilleite
5.BC.10
5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
B : Carbonates with additional anions, without H2O
C : With alkali-earth cations
5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
B : Carbonates with additional anions, without H2O
C : With alkali-earth cations
16a.5.5.1
16a : ANHYDROUS CARBONATES CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
5 : Miscellaneous
16a : ANHYDROUS CARBONATES CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
5 : Miscellaneous
12.1.3
12 : Carbonates with other anions
1 : Carbonates with halides
12 : Carbonates with other anions
1 : Carbonates with halides
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMAâCNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Rvl | IMAâCNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMAâCNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Rouvilleite
Vitreous, Waxy
Transparency:
Transparent
Colour:
Colorless to pale tan
Comment:
Commonly appears reddish-brown due to inclusions of kupletskite.
Streak:
White
Hardness:
3 on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven
Density:
2.67(2) g/cm3 (Measured) 2.69 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Rouvilleite
Type:
Biaxial (-)
RI values:
nα = 1.472 nβ = 1.562 nγ = 1.569
2V:
Measured: 25° to 30°, Calculated: 28°
Birefringence:
b = Y; c ⧠X = 6°, in the acute Îē angle.
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.097
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 Âĩm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 Âĩm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
None to Very Low
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
None. Type description gives weak, r > v.
Pleochroism:
Non-pleochroic
Chemistry of Rouvilleite
Mindat Formula:
Na3CaMn2+(CO3)3F
formerly given as Na3(Ca,Mn,Fe)2(CO3)3F
formerly given as Na3(Ca,Mn,Fe)2(CO3)3F
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Rouvilleite
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Class (H-M):
2/m - Prismatic
Space Group:
B2/b
Setting:
C2/c
Cell Parameters:
a = 8.04 Å, b = 15.81 Å, c = 7.03 Å
β = 101.16°
β = 101.16°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.509 : 1 : 0.445
Unit Cell V:
876.70 Ã
Âģ (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Morphology:
Type material:
Prismatic, elongate along [001], with forms {010}, {110}, {100}, {101}, {023} and {032}. Also simpler crystals showing {010}, {110}, {100}, and {001}.
Prismatic, elongate along [001], with forms {010}, {110}, {100}, {101}, {023} and {032}. Also simpler crystals showing {010}, {110}, {100}, and {001}.
Crystal Structure
Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Show
Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
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Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
Remove metal-metal sticks
Display Options
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Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
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2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
View
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
Rotation
Stop | Start
Stop | Start
Labels
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0015588 | Rouvilleite | Yamnova N A, Pushcharovskii D Yu, Khomyakov A P, Vyatkin S V (1991) Crystal structure of the new natural fluorocarbonate Na3Ca(Mn,Ca)(CO3)3F Soviet Physics Crystallography 36 14-16 | 1991 | hydrothermalites, Lovozero alkaline massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 7.081 Ã | (80) |
| 5.433 Ã | (55) |
| 5.194 Ã | (50) |
| 2.937 Ã | (70) |
| 2.895 Ã | (100) |
| 2.791 Ã | (50) |
| 2.711 Ã | (90) |
| 2.637 Ã | (60) |
| 2.580 Ã | (55) |
| 2.039 Ã | (70) |
| 1.869 Ã | (75) |
| 1.767 Ã | (55) |
| 1.746 Ã | (60) |
| 1.716 Ã | (55) |
Comments:
Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, QuÃĐbec, Canada. The data are from the type locality.
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 3a: Earthâs earliest Hadean crust | >4.50 |
| 9 : Lava/xenolith minerals (hornfels, sanidinite facies) | |
| Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks | >3.0 |
| 35 : Ultra-alkali and agpaitic igneous rocks |
Type Occurrence of Rouvilleite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Irregular crystalline masses up to 3 mm across, and rarely as euhedral crystals up to 1 mm across within cavities.
Has been found within villiaumite; kupletskite has been found included within rouvilleite.
Has been found within villiaumite; kupletskite has been found included within rouvilleite.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, number CMN 54542 (cotype).
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, number M44157, M44233 (cotype).
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, number M44157, M44233 (cotype).
Geological Setting of Type Material:
In a sodalite syenite inclusion within nepheline syenite.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Rouvilleite
Other Language Names for Rouvilleite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 1 photo of Rouvilleite associated with Villiaumite | NaF |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 5.BC.05 | Brenkite | Ca2(CO3)F2 |
| 5.BC.15 | Podlesnoite | BaCa2(CO3)2F2 |
Fluorescence of Rouvilleite
Not fluorescent.
Other Information
Notes:
Not soluble in water. Strong effervescence when the mineral is placed in 1:1 HCl at room temperature.
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Rouvilleite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3465.html
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Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Rouvilleite
Localities for Rouvilleite
Showing 3 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
â - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Canada (TL) | |
| McDonald et al. (1991) |
Namibia | |
| Buehn et al. (1999) |
Russia | |
| Pekov (1998) |
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Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, La VallÃĐe-du-Richelieu RCM, MontÃĐrÃĐgie, QuÃĐbec, Canada