Curite - Encyclopedia

Class : Oxides and hydroxides
Subclass : Uranyl hydroxides
Crystal system : Orthorhombic
Chemistry : Pb₃(UO₂)₈O₈(OH)₆ 3H₂O
Rarity : Rare

Curite is one of seven currently known mixed oxides of lead and uranium. They are secondary minerals present in the oxidation zone of uranium deposits where they derive from the alteration of pitchblende. Curite is, with fourmarierite, one of the main "orange gummites", clearly recognizable in the alteration rings of the pitchblende. Its name is dedicated to the French physicist Pierre Curie, professor at the Sorbonne and known for his research on radioactivity, Nobel Prize in physics in 1903 with his wife Marie Curie. Curite occurs in acicular crystals of 5 mm or less, with a strong adamantine luster, in microcrystals, in powdery coatings, or in compact cryptocrystalline masses, orange to orange-red in color. it can completely replace uraninite crystals (pseudomorph). It is a very incidental uranium ore.

Main photo : Curite of Shinkolobwe, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo © Elmar Lackner

Curite of Shinkolobwe, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo © Jason B. Smith

Curite of Shinkolobwe, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo © Paul de Bondt

Curite of Shinkolobwe, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo © Uwe Haubenreisser

Curite from Alligator River, Australia © Matteo Chinelatto

Curite in the World

Curite was discovered in abundance in the oxidation zone of the Congolese deposit of Shinkolobwe (Katanga), which provided the most beautiful crystals known, and in the neighboring deposit of Musonoï. it is also present in deposits in northern Australia (Koongarra, Nabarlek), Canada (Port Radium, North-West Territory), and in the uraninite pegmatites of Germany (Wölsendorf) and Madagascar (Malakialina).

Curite in France

In France, curite was one of the major constituents of "orange gummites", exploited in the veins of Crouzille (Haute-Vienne), it is also reported at Margnac (Haute-Vienne), at Montebras (Creuse), at Kerségalec and Quistiav (Morbihan) as well as in the pitchblendes of the Thiers region (Puy-de-Dôme).

Twinning

No known twin for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.

Hardness : 4 to 5
Density : 6.98 to 7.4
Fracture : Underterminated
Streak : Orange

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 2.060 to 2.150
Birefringence : 0.090
Optical character : Biaxial -
Pleochroism : Visible
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : Acids

Magnetism : None
Radioactivity : Very strong

	ReCaptcha This service is used to secure web forms of our website and required if you want to contact us. By accepting it you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
	Google Analytics Google Analytics is a service used on our website that tracks, reports traffic and measures how users interact with our website content in order for us to improve it and provide better services.
	Facebook Our website allows you to like or share its content on Facebook social network. By activating and using it you agree to Facebook's privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy/cookies/
	YouTube Integrated videos provided by YouTube are used on our website. By accepting to watch them you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
	Twitter Integrated tweets and share services of Twitter are used on our website. By accepting and using these you agree to Twitter's privacy policy: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-cookies
	PInterest Our website allows you to share its content on PInterest social network. By activating and using it you agree to PInterest's privacy policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy/