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Formula: Ca(UO2)3(CO3)4.3H2O
Hydrated carbonate, uranyl mineral
Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Specific gravity: 4.412 calculated
Hardness: 2½: to 3
Colour: Greenish yellow, olive-green; pale yellow in transmitted light
Solubility: Soluble in dilute acids with effervescence
Very strongly RADIOACTIVE
Environments
Sharpite is a very rare secondary mineral formed in the
oxide zone of hydrothermal uranium deposits. Associated minerals include
uranophane, becquerelite,
schoepite, curite,
masuyite, vandenbrandeite,
ianthinite and uraninite
(HOM).
Localities
At the type locality, the Shinkolobwe Mine, Shinkolobwe, Kambove Territory, Haut-Katanga, DR Congo, sharpite
was found as a radiallv fibrous crust with uranophane on a mass of
curite and becquerelite
(AM 24.658).
Sharpite from Shinkolobwe - Image
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