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Widenmannite, a rare uranyl lead carbonate: occurrence, formation and characterization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

J. Plášil*
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, National Museum, Václavské náměstí 68, Praha 1, 115 79, Czech Republic
J. Čejka
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, National Museum, Václavské náměstí 68, Praha 1, 115 79, Czech Republic
J. Sejkora
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, National Museum, Václavské náměstí 68, Praha 1, 115 79, Czech Republic
P. Škácha
Affiliation:
Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Albertov 6, Praha 2, 128 40, Czech Republic
V. Goliáš
Affiliation:
Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Albertov 6, Praha 2, 128 40, Czech Republic
P. Jarka
Affiliation:
Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Albertov 6, Praha 2, 128 40, Czech Republic
F. Laufek
Affiliation:
Czech Geological Survey, Geologická 6, Praha 5, 152 00, Czech Republic
J. Jehlička
Affiliation:
Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Albertov 6, Praha 2, 128 40, Czech Republic
I. Němec
Affiliation:
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Hlavova 2030, Praha 2, 128 40, Czech Republic
L. Strnad
Affiliation:
Laboratories of the Geological Institutes, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Albertov 6, Praha 2, 128 40, Czech Republic
*

Abstract

The rare uranyl lead carbonate widenmannite, Pb2(UO2)(CO3)3, was found at the Jánská vein, Příbram, Czech Republic, where two generations occur in several morphological types and mineral associations in hydrothermal veins. Alpha spectroscopy shows that these two generations have different ages, >220,000 and 118±12 y. ICP-MS analysis indicates that both widenmannites have a dominance of non-radiogenic Pb which originates from weathered galena. The older widenmannite I forms fine-grained, grey to beige aggregates in the highly altered supergene part of the hydrothermal ore vein in association with pyromorphite, cerussite and goethite. The younger widenmannite II occurs as white, yellow or greenish-yellow thin tabular crystals upto 0.5 mm long in association with cerussite, anglesite, limonite, kasolite and an unnamed Pb-U-O phase. Thermal analysis suggests that widenmannite decomposes in several steps, with Pb uranate as the final product. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy confirm the presence of non-equivalent (CO3)2– groups, bidentately coordinated in uranyl hexagonal polyhedra, forming the well known uranyl tricarbonate complex. Infrared spectroscopy shows conclusively that widenmannite does not contain molecular H2O.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2010

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