WODGINITE

    Class : Oxides and hydroxides
    Subclass : Oxides
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : Mn(Sn,Ta)Ta2O8
    Rarity : Uncommon

Wodginite is a complex oxide of tantalum granitic pegmatites, which may have been confused with tantalite. It owes its name to its discovery locality : Wodgina (Australia). Wodginite forms coarse prismatic crystals, very frequently twinned and commonly grouped in radiate aggregates, of dark reddish brown to black color. It is an important tantalum ore exploited in the Tanco pegmatite (Canada).

Main photo : Wodginite from Linópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil © Chris Emproto

Wodginite in the World

Wodginite is well known in quartz, albite and muscovite pegmatites of the Pilbara region (Wodgina, Marble Bar, etc...), wodginite however offers its best crystals in the Brazilian pegmatites of Minas Gerais (Araçuai, Itinga, Galiléia) where they reach up to 15 cm, sometimes in epitaxy on cassiterite. It is also present among others in several American pegmatites (Connecticut, South Dakota), Namibia (Karibib) and Finland (Eräjärvi).

Right photo : Wodginite from Strickland Quarry, Connecticut, USA © Harold Moritz

Wodginite in France

Wodginite is not present in the French underground.

Twinning

Twinning is common on with {001} or {100} as the composition plane.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 5.5
Density : 7.19 to 7.36
Fracture : Irregular
Streak : Light brown

TP : Opaque
RI : -
Birefringence : -
Optical character : -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : Hydrochloric acid

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None