Holdenite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Holdenite
Albert F. Holden
Formula:
(Mn2+,Mg)6Zn3(AsO4)2(SiO4)(OH)8
Colour:
Pink, yellowish red, deep red; pink in transmitted light
Lustre:
Sub-Vitreous, Resinous, Waxy
Hardness:
4
Specific Gravity:
4.11
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Name:
Named by Charles Palache and Earl Victor Shannon in honor of Albert Fairchild Holden (31 December 1866, Cleveland, Ohio, USA - 18 May 1913, Cleveland, Ohio, USA), mining engineer and mineral collector of Franklin, New Jersey, USA minerals and benefactor of Harvard University, and in whose mineral collection the type specimen was found. He built the second largest mining and smelting trust in the world, in his day. His companies included the United States Mining Company and the United States Smelting Company. He was inducted into the Mining Hall of Fame in 1990.
This page provides mineralogical data about Holdenite.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
1920
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:1920:6
IMA Classification of Holdenite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
Mn2+6Zn2+3(As5+O4)2(SiO4)(OH)8
First published:
1927
Classification of Holdenite
8.BE.55
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without H2O
E : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 > 2:1
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without H2O
E : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 > 2:1
43.4.7.1
43 : COMPOUND PHOSPHATES, ETC.
4 : Anhydrous Compound Phosphates, etc·, Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen
43 : COMPOUND PHOSPHATES, ETC.
4 : Anhydrous Compound Phosphates, etc·, Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen
20.3.15
20 : Arsenates (also arsenates with phosphate, but without other anions)
3 : Arsenates of Zn, Cd or Hg
20 : Arsenates (also arsenates with phosphate, but without other anions)
3 : Arsenates of Zn, Cd or Hg
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Hde | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Holdenite
Sub-Vitreous, Resinous, Waxy
Transparency:
Translucent
Colour:
Pink, yellowish red, deep red; pink in transmitted light
Streak:
White
Hardness:
4 on Mohs scale
Cleavage:
Poor/Indistinct
On {010}, poor.
On {010}, poor.
Fracture:
Sub-Conchoidal
Density:
4.11 g/cm3 (Measured) 4.27 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Comment:
Calculated value on Franklin, NJ, material
Optical Data of Holdenite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.769 nβ = 1.770 nγ = 1.785
2V:
Measured: 30° , Calculated: 30°
Birefringence:
0.016
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.016
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
Very High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
r > v distinct
Optical Extinction:
Parallel. XYZ = cba
Pleochroism:
Non-pleochroic
Chemistry of Holdenite
Mindat Formula:
(Mn2+,Mg)6Zn3(AsO4)2(SiO4)(OH)8
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Holdenite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm(2/m2/m2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:
Ccca
Cell Parameters:
a = 11.99 Å, b = 31.46 Å, c = 8.69 Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.381 : 1 : 0.276
Unit Cell V:
3,277.91 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
8
Morphology:
Crystals equant to thick tabular {100}, with α and u relatively large.
Comment:
Cell chosen is Abma
Crystal Structure
Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Show
Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
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Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
Remove metal-metal sticks
Display Options
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Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
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Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
View
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
Rotation
Stop | Start
Stop | Start
Labels
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0000581 | Holdenite | Moore P B, Araki T (1977) Holdenite, a novel cubic close-packed structure American Mineralogist 62 513-521 |  | 1977 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 5.74 Å | (50) |
| 3.58 Å | (80) |
| 3.41 Å | (60) |
| 2.84 Å | (100) |
| 2.79 Å | (50) |
| 2.58 Å | (80) |
| 2.46 Å | (70) |
| 1.53 Å | (80) |
Comments:
ICDD 29-903
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| High-? alteration and/or metamorphism | |
| 32 : Ba/Mn/Pb/Zn deposits, including metamorphic deposits | |
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47a : [Near-surface hydration of prior minerals] | |
| 47d : [Arsenates, antimonates, selenates, bismuthinates] | |
| 47e : [Vanadates, chromates, manganates] |
Geological Setting:
Pre-Cambrian marble-hosted zinc deposit
Type Occurrence of Holdenite
Co-Type Localities:
General Appearance of Type Material:
Small crystals and small masses.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Harvard Mineralogical Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, number 89996 (holotype).
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, numbers 095434 and 162601 (type).
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, numbers 095434 and 162601 (type).
Geological Setting of Type Material:
In a veinlet coursing through massive zinc ore in a metamorphosed sedimentary Pre-cambrian Zn-Fe-Mn ore body.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Other Language Names for Holdenite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 17 photos of Holdenite associated with Franklinite | Zn2+Fe3+2O4 |
| 14 photos of Holdenite associated with Willemite | Zn2SiO4 |
| 11 photos of Holdenite associated with Kolicite | Mn2+7Zn4(AsO4)2(SiO4)2(OH)8 |
| 7 photos of Holdenite associated with Kraisslite | Zn3(Mn,Mg)25(Fe3+,Al)(As3+O3)2[(Si,As5+)O4]10(OH)16 |
| 5 photos of Holdenite associated with Calcite | CaCO3 |
| 1 photo of Holdenite associated with Allactite | Mn2+7(AsO4)2(OH)8 |
| 1 photo of Holdenite associated with Zincite | ZnO |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 8.BE.05 | Augelite | Al2(PO4)(OH)3 |
| 8.BE.10 | Grattarolaite | Fe3+3(PO4)O3 |
| 8.BE.15 | Cornetite | Cu3(PO4)(OH)3 |
| 8.BE.20 | Clinoclase | Cu3(AsO4)(OH)3 |
| 8.BE.25 | Gilmarite | Cu3(AsO4)(OH)3 |
| 8.BE.25 | Arhbarite | Cu2Mg(AsO4)(OH)3 |
| 8.BE.30 | Flinkite | Mn2+2Mn3+(AsO4)(OH)4 |
| 8.BE.30 | Argandite | Mn7(VO4)2(OH)8 |
| 8.BE.30 | Raadeite | Mg7(PO4)2(OH)8 |
| 8.BE.30 | Allactite | Mn2+7(AsO4)2(OH)8 |
| 8.BE.35 | 'Mineral E (of Dunn, et. al., 1982)' | |
| 8.BE.35 | Chlorophoenicite | (Mn,Mg)3Zn2(AsO4)(OH,O)6 |
| 8.BE.35 | Magnesiochlorophoenicite | (Mg,Mn)3Zn2(AsO4)(OH,O)6 |
| 8.BE.40 | Gerdtremmelite | (Zn,Fe)(Al,Fe)2(AsO4)(OH)5 |
| 8.BE.45 | Dixenite | CuMn2+14Fe2+(SiO4)2(As5+O4)(As3+O3)5(OH)6 |
| 8.BE.45 | Mcgovernite | Mn19Zn3(AsO4)3(AsO3)(SiO4)3(OH)21 |
| 8.BE.45 | Hematolite | (Mn,Mg,Al,Fe3+)15(As5+O4)2(As3+O3)(OH)23 |
| 8.BE.45 | Turtmannite | (Mn,Mg)22.5Mg3-3x((V5+,As5+)O4)3(As3+O3)x(SiO4)3O5-5x(OH)20+x |
| 8.BE.45 | Carlfrancisite | Mn2+3(Mn2+,Mg,Fe3+,Al)42[As3+O3]2(As5+O4)4[(Si,As5+)O4]6[(As5+,Si)O4]2(OH)42 |
| 8.BE.45 | Arakiite | (Zn,Mn2+)(Mn2+,Mg)12(Fe3+,Al)2(As5+O4)2(As3+O3)(OH)23 |
| 8.BE.45 | Kraisslite | Zn3(Mn,Mg)25(Fe3+,Al)(As3+O3)2[(Si,As5+)O4]10(OH)16 |
| 8.BE.50 | Synadelphite | Mn2+9(As5+O4)2(As3+O3)(OH)9 · 2H2O |
| 8.BE.60 | Kolicite | Mn2+7Zn4(AsO4)2(SiO4)2(OH)8 |
| 8.BE.65 | Sabelliite | (Cu,Zn)2Zn(AsO4,SbO4)(OH)3 |
| 8.BE.70 | Jarosewichite | Mn2+3Mn3+(AsO4)(OH)6 |
| 8.BE.75 | Theisite | Cu5Zn5(AsO4,SbO4)2(OH)14 |
| 8.BE.80 | Coparsite | Cu4(AsO4,VO4)O2Cl |
| 8.BE.85 | Waterhouseite | Mn2+7(PO4)2(OH)8 |
| 8.BE.90 | Vasilseverginite | Cu9O4(AsO4)2(SO4)2 |
Fluorescence of Holdenite
Not fluorescent in UV. Fluorescent material may be fluorite which can superficially resemble holdenite.
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Holdenite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-1920.html
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References for Holdenite
Reference List:
(1921) First annual meeting of the Mineralogical Society of America. American Mineralogist, 6 (2) 35-45 p.39 - (Holdenite and cahnite, two new minerals from Franklin Furnace, N.J.. Title only, without text.)
Palache, Charles, Shannon, E. V. (1927) Holdenite, a new arsenate of manganese and zinc, from Franklin, New Jersey. American Mineralogist, 12 (4) 144-148
Prewitt-Hopkins, Joan (1949) X-ray study of holdenite, mooreite and torreyite. American Mineralogist, 34 (7-8) 589-595
Localities for Holdenite
Showing 3 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
USA (TL) | |
| Palache et al. (1927) +3 other references |
| - (1921) +1 other reference |
| Dunn (1981) +1 other reference |
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Sterling Mine, Sterling Hill, Ogdensburg, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA