ROMEITE

Ca₂Sb₂O₆(OH,F,O)
Cubic

Romeite is a rare mineral at Franklin and unknown from Sterling Hill. It was first reported by Dunn and Leavens (1980) and Dunn et al. (1980a).

Description

Romeite occurs as formless blebs and rounded masses, commonly only a few mm in diameter. Unlike occurrences elsewhere, it has not been found locally as euhedral crystals in vugs and seams, but rather as microscopic granules having a typical metamorphic granular texture. It is light yellow to dark brown, with no cleavage, and a greasy to subadamantine luster. There is no discernible fluorescence in ultraviolet.

Composition

Romeite is a calcium antimonate mineral of the pyrochlore group. Local romeites have been only partially analyzed; those studied have all been predominantly composed of Ca and Sb. However, some romeite found locally functions as tourmalines do elsewhere, as a catch-all for excess cations such as Fe, Mn, Zn, Ti, Si and, especially, for large cations such as Pb, Na, and K. Although all local romeites contain Mn, ingersonite has not been found locally.

Occurrence and paragenesis

Romeite has been found but sparingly as an accessory mineral. Dunn and Leavens (1980) reported it associated with yeatmanite, andradite, and diopside in a matrix of holotype johnbaumite (Dunn et al., 1980a). It was observed in traces, utilizing X-ray diffraction methods, in the impure matrix for jarosewichite and flinkite from Franklin. Romeite was found by the writer occurring with the antimonian groutite described by Klein and Frondel (1967), and it was also found with vesuvianite and andradite from Franklin. Locally it remains a rare accessory mineral.

Copyright © 1995 by Pete J. Dunn			Website by Herb Yeates
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This page created: January 11, 2001