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Formula: (Ca,Y)Zr(Ti,Mg,Al)2O7
Oxide, yttrium-, zirconium- and
titanium-
bearing mineral
Specific gravity: 4.8
Hardness: 5½
Streak: Dark brown
Colour: Black to brown, red
Environments
Plutonic igneous environments
Pegmatites
Carbonatites
Zirconolite occurs in pegmatites,
carbonatites,
kimberlite,
syenite and sanidine-rich rocks; more
rarely in ultramafic rocks and as a detrital mineral. Associated minerals include
apatite, clinohumite,
phlogopite, richterite,
pyrochlore, baddeleyite,
perovskite, titanite,
pyrrhotite and calcite
(HOM).
Localities
At Kaiserstuhl, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, zirconolite occurs in a
carbonatite
(Dana).
At Monte di Procida, Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, Italy, zirconolite occurs in
sanidine-rich rocks associated with a member of the
pyrochlore group
(Dana).
Zirconolite from Monte di Procida -
Image
At Stavern (Fredriksvärn), Larvik Commune, Vestfold, Norway, zirconolite occurs in a
pegmatite with
magnetite, nepheline,
zircon and pyrochlore
(Dana).
Zirconolite from Larvik - Image
The type locality is the Afrikanda complex, Murmansk Oblast, Russia.
At the Kovdor Massif, Kovdorsky District, Murmansk Oblast, Russia, the metamict zirconolite crystals from
the Kovdor phoscorites and
carbonatites is a high
niobium and Fe3+ variety, it is enriched in
thallium, tantalum
and rare earth elements, and is anhydrous.
The recrystallisation process of the metamict zirconolite is complex. A
fluorite-type phase starts to crystallise at 420°C. The formation of a
pyrochlore phase can be identified at 750°C. The major phases detected
in the sample after the recrystallisation are zirconolite-3T (53 wt.%),
srilankite (25 wt.%),
pyrochlore (15 wt.%),
baddeleyite (5 wt.%) and zircon
(3 wt.%)
(MM 89.4.492–505).
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