Batisivite, V8Ti6[Ba(Si2O)]O28, a new mineral species from the derbylite group

Abstract

Batisivite has been found as an accessory mineral in the Cr-V-bearing quartz-diopside metamorphic rocks of the Slyudyanka Complex in the southern Baikal region, Russia. A new mineral was named after the major cations in its ideal formula (Ba, Ti, Si, V). Associated minerals are quartz, Cr-V-bearing diopside and tremolite; calcite; schreyerite; berdesinskiite; ankangite; V-bearing titanite; minerals of the chromite-coulsonite, eskolaite-karelianite, dravite-vanadiumdravite, and chernykhite-roscoelite series; uraninite; Cr-bearing goldmanite; albite; barite; zircon; and unnamed U-Ti-V-Cr phases. Batisivite occurs as anhedral grains up to 0.15–0.20 mm in size, without visible cleavage and parting. The new mineral is brittle, with conchoidal fracture. Observed by the naked eye, the mineral is black and opaque, with a black streak and resinous luster. Batisivite is white in reflected light. The microhardness (VHN) is 1220–1470 kg/mm2 (load is 30 g), the mean value is 1330 kg/mm2. The Mohs hardness is near 7. The calculated density is 4.62 g/cm3. The new mineral is weakly anisotropic and bireflected. The measured values of reflectance are as follows (λ, nm—R ′max /R ′min ): 440—17.5/17.0; 460—17.3/16.7; 480—17.1/16.5; 500—17.2/16.6; 520—17.3/16.7; 540—17.4/16.8; 560—17.5/16.8; 580—17.6/16.9; 600—17.7/17.1; 620—17.7/17.1; 640—17.8/17.1; 660—17.9/17.2; 680—18.0/17.3; 700—18.1/17.4. Batisivite is triclinic, space group P \( \overline 1 \) ; the unit-cell dimensions are: a = 7.521(1) Å, b = 7.643(1) Å, c = 9.572(1) Å, α = 110.20°(1), β = 103.34°(1), γ = 98.28°(1), V = 487.14(7) Å3, Z = 1. The strongest reflections in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern [d, Å (I, %)(hkl)] are: 3.09(8)(12\( \overline 2 \) ); 2.84, 2.85(10)(021, 120); 2.64(8)(21\( \overline 3 \) ); 2.12(8)(31\( \overline 3 \) ); 1.785(8)(32\( \overline 4 \) ), 1.581(10)(24\( \overline 2 \) ); 1.432, 1.433(10)(322, 124). The chemical composition (electron microprobe, average of 237 point analyses, wt %) is: 0.26 Nb2O5, 6.16 SiO2, 31.76 TiO2, 1.81 Al2O3, 8.20 VO2, 26.27 V2O3, 12.29 Cr2O3, 1.48 Fe2O3, 0.08 MgO, 11.42 BaO; the total is 99.73. The VO2/V2O3 ratio has been calculated. The simplified empirical formula is (V 3+4.8 Cr2.2V 4+0.7 Fe0.3)8.0(Ti5.4V 4+0.6 )6.0[Ba(Si1.4Al0.5O0.9)]O28. An alternative to the title formula could be a variety (with the diorthogroup Si2O7) V8Ti6[Ba(Si2O7)]O22. Batisivite probably pertains to the V 3+8 Ti 4+6 [Ba(Si2O)]O28-Cr 3+8 Ti 4+6 [Ba(Si2O)]O28 solid solution series. The type material of batisivite has been deposited in the Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.