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Formula: Sb3+2(V4+O5)-6
Anhydrous oxide of antimony and
vanadium
Crystal system: Orthorhombic
Specific gravity: 5.26 calculated
Hardness: 4 to 4½
Streak: White
Colour: Yellow-green
Solubility: Not soluble in cold concentrated hydrochloric or nitric acid, but dissolves readily in aqua regia
Environments
Metamorphic environments
Hydrothermal environments
Localities
There are two co-type localities, the Lake George Antimony mine, Lake George, Prince William Parish, York County, New
Brunswick, Canada and the Buca della Vena Mine, Pontestazzemese, Stazzema, Lucca Province, Tuscany, Italy.
At the Lake George Antimony mine, Lake George, Prince William Parish, York County, New Brunswick, Canada, the deposit
consists of a vein system, in an area of graywacke and
quartzite with associated
shale and argillite.
Stibnite, the most abundant ore mineral, occupies interstices between
quartz and carbonate of the vein. Earlier mineralogical studies listed
arsenopyrite and pyrite as
following stibnite in abundance, with several sulphosalt and sulphide
minerals in trace amounts, namely tetrahedrite,
chalcostibite, plagionite,
fülöppite, bournonite and
cubanite. The stibivanite-bearing specimens examined in this study
contain native antimony as the major constituent, followed by
stibnite, senarmontite,
pyrite, stibivanite,
arsenopyrite and sphalerite.
Three stages of mineralisation have been noted; the first stage consisted of euhedral
pyrite and arsenopyrite,
followed by stibnite and various sulphosalts, with the third stage forming
cubanite. The evidence suggests that
native antimony and stibnite
crystallised simultaneously, with stibivanite and senarmontite
forming in the same stage of mineralisation or shortly thereafter.
Stibivanite occurs as radiating fibrous yellow-green crystals up to 2 mm across. They are easily split into
fine, flexible and elastic lath-shaped fibres. Stibivanite occurs in veins and as fracture fillings closely
associated with native antimony,
stibnite and senarmontite. It
also occurs as isolated crystals, interstitial to quartz, some of which are
completely free of inclusions. The maximum size of these crystals is about 100 microns
(CM 18.3.329-332).
Stibivanite from the Lake George Antimony Mine -
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The Buca della Vena Mine, Pontestazzemese, Stazzema, Lucca Province, Tuscany, Italy, is a small deposit of
hematite and magnetite in a
microcrystalline mass of baryte, that occurs at the contact between
phyllite and
dolostone. Between the baryte
and enclosing rocks are small cavities that contain the rare
iron-antimony minerals
schafarzikite, versiliaite
and apuanite. Within the same cavities, atop these minerals, are small
lath-shaped green crystals of stibivanite. The crystals are very rare; the largest ones are 1 mm long, 0.1 mm
wide and 0.01 mm thick. Other minerals in the cavities are pyrite,
tetrahedrite, seligmannite,
rutile, anatase,
baryte, quartz,
allanite, beryl and
derbylite
(CM 21.1.159-160).
Stibivanite from the Buca della Vena Mine -
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