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Formula: V4+O(OH)2
Vanadate
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 3.24 calculated
Hardness: 2½
Colour: Pale brown, becoming greenish with alteration
Environments
Sedimentary environments
Hydrothermal environments
Duttonite is a secondary mineral formed by the
low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of vanadium-bearing minerals
(HOM).
Localities
At Wilson Springs (Potash Sulfur Springs), Garland County, Arkansas, USA, duttonite is associated with
hewettite, fervanite,
schoderite, metaschoderite
and straczekite
(HOM).
At the type locality, the Peanut Mine, Bull Canyon, Uravan Mining District, Montrose County, Colorado, USA, the
vanadium-uranium ore occurs in
ore-bearing sandstone of Late Jurassic age (161.5 to 145.0
million years ago). Most of the ore bodies are saturated with water which has prevented much oxidation of the ore
minerals although the regional water table is several hundred feet below the ore horizon. The principal ore minerals
are montroseite,
paramontroseite,
vanadium-bearing silicates,
uraninite and coffinite. The
primary ore minerals impregnate
sandstone and replace coalified wood. Along fractures in the
ore-bearing sandstone there is commonly a thin massive coating of an
undescribed vanadium oxide which partially re-cements the fractures. On
this coating duttonite occurs as crusts of randomly oriented six-sided platy crystals which range in size from
extremely minute to about 0.5 mm for the longest dimension. Associated minerals are
melanovanadite, abundant crystals of
native selenium, simplotite and
other undescribed vanadium minerals
(AM 42.455-460).
Duttonite from the Peanut Mine - Image
At Sundown Claims, Slick Rock Mining District, San Miguel County, Colorado, USA, duttonite has been found in
association with native selenium and
simplotite
(AM 42.455-460).
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