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Kaliborite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  KHMg₂B₁₂O₁₆(OH)₁₀·4(H₂O)  
[Hydrated Potassium Magnesium Borate Hydroxide]

Discovered in 1889;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Kaliborate's name is in allusion to the chemical composition containing potassium (Latin = KALIum) and being a BORate.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Borates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

5/J.05-40

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

6.FB.10

6 : BORATES
F : Hexaborates
B : Ino-hexaborates

Related to:

Larderellite - Kaliborite Series

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Monoclinic - Prismatic

Crystal Habit:

Small crystals typically with uneven face development; in powdery aggregates, granular, massive.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

[001] Perfect, [101] Perfect, [100] Good

Fracture:

Irregular/Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

4.0 - 4.5

Density:

2.116 - 2.128 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Barely Detectable; GRapi = 79.53 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Other:

Slightly soluble in water. Readily soluble in acids.

Optical Properties

Color:

Colorless, Grayish White, White Reddish Brown

Transparency:

Transparent

Luster:

Vitreous

Refractive Index:

1.508 - 1.550  Biaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.0419

Dispersion:

None

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

An uncommon component in marine potash deposits; rarely in efflorescences.

Common Associations:

Boracite, Kainite, Pinnoite, (Germany); Anhydrite, Halite (Inder deposit, Kazakhstan).

Type Locality:

Schmidtmannshall, Aschersleben, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Year Discovered:

1889

View mineral photos:

Kaliborite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Kaliborite is an extremely rare borate mineral that is only found in a few places in the world. Gemmy crystals are very small and only available from the Inder borate deposit, Atyrau Oblast', Kazakhstan.
 

  
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