Wardite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Wardite
Henry Augustus Ward
Formula:
NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4 · 2H2O
Colour:
Colourless, white, lightly coloured blue to green, yellow-green, light yellow, brown; colourless in transmitted light.
Lustre:
Vitreous
Hardness:
5
Specific Gravity:
2.81 - 2.87
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Member of:
Name:
Named after Henry Augustus Ward (9 March 1834, Rochester, New York, USA - 4 July 1906, Buffalo, New York, USA), Professor of Natural Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA. He was also a collector and founder of Ward's Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, which deals in natural history objects. He died after being struck by a motorist in Buffalo, New York, becoming Buffalo's first automobile related fatality. His ashes were interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in a niche in his granite monument. Subsequently, the ashes were stolen. His monument is surmounted by a glacial erratic boulder which shows jasper inclusions. He found the boulder north of Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada. Ward's brain was contributed to the Wilder Brain Collection at Cornell University.
Wardite Group.
The Al analogue of cyrilovite and the OH analogue of fluorowardite.
May be confused with pseudotetragonal-dipyramidal varieties of variscite.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Wardite.
The Al analogue of cyrilovite and the OH analogue of fluorowardite.
May be confused with pseudotetragonal-dipyramidal varieties of variscite.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Wardite.Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
4242
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:4242:6
Similar Names
IMA Classification of Wardite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4·2H2O
First published:
1896
Classification of Wardite
8.DL.10
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
D : Phosphates, etc. with additional anions, with H2O
L : With large and medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 = 2:1
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
D : Phosphates, etc. with additional anions, with H2O
L : With large and medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 = 2:1
42.7.8.2
42 : HYDRATED PHOSPHATES, ETC.CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
7 : (AB)2(XO4)Zq·xH2O
42 : HYDRATED PHOSPHATES, ETC.CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
7 : (AB)2(XO4)Zq·xH2O
19.8.3
19 : Phosphates
8 : Phosphates of Al and other metals
19 : Phosphates
8 : Phosphates of Al and other metals
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wd | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Pronunciation of Wardite
Pronunciation:
| Play | Recorded by | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Jolyon Ralph | United Kingdom |
Physical Properties of Wardite
Vitreous
Transparency:
Transparent, Opaque
Colour:
Colourless, white, lightly coloured blue to green, yellow-green, light yellow, brown; colourless in transmitted light.
Hardness:
5 on Mohs scale
Cleavage:
Perfect
On {001}, perfect.
On {001}, perfect.
Density:
2.81 - 2.87 g/cm3 (Measured) 2.805 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Wardite
Type:
Uniaxial (+)
RI values:
nω = 1.586 - 1.594 nε = 1.595 - 1.604
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.009 - 0.010
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.
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.
Surface Relief:
Moderate
Comments:
Basal sections of crystals from Montebras, France, are divided into four anomalously biaxial sections with Y = [101], Z = [001], and 2E (+) ranging up to 70°.
Chemistry of Wardite
Mindat Formula:
NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4 · 2H2O
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Wardite
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Class (H-M):
422 - Trapezohedral
Space Group:
P41212
Cell Parameters:
a = 7.03(1) Å, c = 19.04(1) Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 2.708
Unit Cell V:
940.97 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Morphology:
Crystals dipyramidal, pseudo-octahedral, exhibiting forms {010}, {011}, {012}, {100}, and rarely {001}. Commonly striated perpendicular to [001]. Granular aggregates and crusts; subparallel aggregates of coarse fibers; radially-fibrous and concentrically banded spherulites.
Crystal Structure
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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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0014451 | Wardite | Fanfani L, Nunzi A, Zanazzi P F (1970) The crystal structure of wardite Mineralogical Magazine 37 598-605 |  | 1970 | Fairfield, Utah, USA | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Loading XRD data...
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 4.74 Å | (10) |
| 3.085 Å | (6) |
| 2.994 Å | (7) |
| 2.825 Å | (4) |
| 2.591 Å | (7) |
| 2.108 Å | (4) |
| 1.516 Å | (5) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Near-surface Processes | |
| 21 : Chemically precipitated carbonate, phosphate, iron formations | |
| 22 : Hydration and low-? subsurface aqueous alteration (see also #23) | |
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47a : [Near-surface hydration of prior minerals] | |
| 47c : [Carbonates, phosphates, borates, nitrates] | |
| 47g : [Halogen-bearing surface weathering minerals] |
Geological Setting:
Complex zoned pegmatites.
Type Occurrence of Wardite
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
No designated type material.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Low-temperature phosphatic nodules in sedimentary rocks.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Wardite
Other Language Names for Wardite
Relationship of Wardite to other Species
Member of:
Other Members of Wardite Group:
| Cyrilovite | NaFe3+3(PO4)2(OH)4 · 2H2O | Tet. 422 : P41212 |
| Fluorowardite | NaAl3(PO4)2F2(OH)2(H2O)2 | Tet. 422 : P41212 |
| Millisite | (Na,K)CaAl6(PO4)4(OH)9 · 3H2O | Tet. |
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 212 photos of Wardite associated with Crandallite | CaAl3(PO4)(PO3OH)(OH)6 |
| 171 photos of Wardite associated with Variscite | AlPO4 · 2H2O |
| 67 photos of Wardite associated with Lazulite | MgAl2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 47 photos of Wardite associated with Siderite | FeCO3 |
| 43 photos of Wardite associated with Eosphorite | Mn2+Al(PO4)(OH)2 · H2O |
| 42 photos of Wardite associated with Millisite | (Na,K)CaAl6(PO4)4(OH)9 · 3H2O |
| 41 photos of Wardite associated with Childrenite | Fe2+Al(PO4)(OH)2 · H2O |
| 40 photos of Wardite associated with Quartz | SiO2 |
| 37 photos of Wardite associated with Fluorapatite | Ca5(PO4)3F |
| 35 photos of Wardite associated with Montgomeryite | Ca4MgAl4(PO4)6(OH)4 · 12H2O |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 8.DL.05 | Foggite | CaAl(PO4)(OH)2 · H2O |
| 8.DL.10 | Fluorowardite | NaAl3(PO4)2F2(OH)2(H2O)2 |
| 8.DL.10 | Millisite | (Na,K)CaAl6(PO4)4(OH)9 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.10 | Cyrilovite | NaFe3+3(PO4)2(OH)4 · 2H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Petersite-(Ce) | CeCu6(PO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Agardite-(Nd) | NdCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Agardite-(Y) | YCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Agardite-(Ce) | CeCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | 'Agardite-(Dy)' | (Dy,La)Cu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Agardite-(La) | LaCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Petersite-(Y) | YCu6(PO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Zálesíite | CaCu6(AsO4)2(AsO3OH)(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Mixite | BiCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Petersite-(La) | LaCu6(PO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Goudeyite | AlCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Calciopetersite | CaCu6(PO4)2(PO3OH)(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.15 | Plumboagardite | PbCu6(AsO4)2(AsO3OH)(OH)6 · 3H2O |
| 8.DL.20 | Dugganite | Pb3Zn3(AsO4)2(TeO6) |
| 8.DL.20 | Wallkilldellite | Ca2Mn2+3(AsO4)2(OH)4 · 9H2O |
| 8.DL.20 | Wallkilldellite-(Fe) | (Ca,Cu)4Fe2+6(AsO4,SiO4)4(OH,O)8 · 18H2O |
| 8.DL.20 | Cheremnykhite | Pb3Zn3(VO4)2(TeO6) |
| 8.DL.20 | Kuksite | Pb3Zn3(PO4)2(TeO6) |
| 8.DL.25 | Angastonite | CaMgAl2(PO4)2(OH)4 · 7H2O |
| 8.DL.30 | Långbanshyttanite | Pb2Mn2Mg(AsO4)2(OH)4 · 6H2O |
Other Information
Notes:
Completely soluble in acids with difficulty.
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 Wardite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-4242.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Wardite
Reference List:
Larsen, Esper S., Shannon, Earl V. (1930) The minerals of the phosphate nodules from near Fairfield, Utah. American Mineralogist, 15 (8) 307-337 p.315
Larsen, Esper S., 3d, (1942) The mineralogy and paragenesis of the variscite nodules from near Fairfield, Utah, Part 1. American Mineralogist, 27 (4) 281-300 p.292
Hurlbut, Cornelius S. (1952) Wardite from Beryl Mountain, New Hampshire. American Mineralogist, 37 (9-10) 849-852
Lindberg, Marie Louise (1957) Relationship of the minerals avelinoite, cyrilovite and wardite. American Mineralogist, 42 (3-4) 204-213
Fanfani, L., Nunzi, A., Zanazzi, P. F. (1970) The crystal structure of wardite. Mineralogical Magazine, 37 (289) 598-605 doi:10.1180/minmag.1970.037.289.10
Tarte, Pierre, Fransolet, André-Mathieu, Pillard, François (1984) Le spectre infrarouge de la cyrilovite et de la wardite : corrélations entre la structure et la composition chimique. Bulletin de Minéralogie, 107 (6) 745-754 doi:10.3406/bulmi.1984.7816
Vassilikou-Dova, A. B. (1993) An EPR study of trivalent iron in wardite. Applied Magnetic Resonance, 5 (1). 25-29 doi:10.1007/bf03162469
Breitinger, D.K., Belz, H.-H., Hajba, L., Komlósi, V., Mink, J., Brehm, G., Colognesi, D., Parker, S.F., Schwab, R.G. (2004) Combined vibrational spectra of natural wardite. Journal of Molecular Structure, 706 (1) 95-99 doi:10.1016/j.molstruc.2004.01.039
Frost, Ray L., Erickson, Kristy L. (2005) Near-infrared spectroscopic study of selected hydrated hydroxylated phosphates. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 61 (1) 45-50 doi:10.1016/j.saa.2004.03.010
Frost, Ray L., Xi, Yunfei (2012) A vibrational spectroscopic study of the phosphate mineral wardite NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4·2(H2O) Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 93. 155-163 doi:10.1016/j.saa.2012.02.103
Frost, Ray L., Scholz, Ricardo, López, Andrés, Lana, Cristiano, Xi, Yunfei (2014) A Raman and infrared spectroscopic analysis of the phosphate mineral wardite NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4⋅2(H2O) from Brazil. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 126. 164-169 doi:10.1016/j.saa.2014.02.007
Localities for Wardite
Showing 73 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.
Argentina | |
| Gay et al. (1991) +1 other reference |
| Galliski et al. (2020) |
Australia | |
| Francis (2010) |
| Francis (2010) | |
| Peter Elliott |
| Frost et al. (2012) |
| Pilkington et al. (1979) +1 other reference | |
| Birch et al. (1993) |
| R Bottrill unpub XRD +2 other references |
| Nickel (2008) |
Austria | |
| Niedermayr et al. (1995) |
| Niedermayr et al. (2001) | |
| Niedermayr et al. (1995) | |
| Niedermayr (1997) |
| Niedermayr et al. (1995) |
| Niedermayr et al. (1995) | |
| Bernhard et al. (1998) |
Belgium | |
| Michel Blondieau. +2 other references |
| Hatert et al. (2002) |
Brazil | |
| Sergio Varvello collection |
| Rock Currier |
| |
| Paul Bongaerts |
| Moore et al. (1978) | |
| Cassedanne et al. (1980) |
| sergio varvello |
| Russell Rizzo | |
| 531 p +6 other references |
| Murdoch (1955) |
Canada | |
| Robinson et al. (1992) |
| Lavinsky (n.d.) | |
| 150-152. +2 other references | |
| Robinson et al. (1992) |
| Robinson et al. (1992) | |
| Collected by Rod Tyson | |
| various added photos | |
| Robinson et al. (1992) | |
| Robinson et al. (1992) |
Europe | |
| Fransolet et al. (1997) |
Finland | |
| Sandström et al. (2009) |
France | |
| Queneau (n.d.) |
| Chollet Pascal Collection |
| Gaël Trouilliez collection |
| Lacroix (1910) +2 other references |
| Gineste et al. (2026) |
Japan | |
| SHIROSE et al. (2014) |
Portugal | |
| Alves (n.d.) |
Rwanda | |
| Daltry et al. (1998) |
Spain | |
| Calvo (2015) |
| Joan Rosell - RosellMinerals.com (2014) |
| Roda (2005) |
| Vérez et al. (2024) |
USA | |
| www.gemandmineral.com/stewartmine.html. |
| Schooner (circa 1985) |
| Ream (2004) |
| King et al. (1994) +1 other reference |
| King et al. (1994) +1 other reference |
| King et al. (1994) +1 other reference | |
| King et al. (1994) +1 other reference | |
| Dr. William S. Wise presentation to ... |
| Castor et al. (2004) |
| Rocks & Min. 80:256 (2005) +1 other reference |
| Smith (2005) |
| Smith (2005) |
| Hurlbut (1952) +1 other reference |
| Smith (2005) |
| Smith et al. (2000) |
| Rocks & Min.:60:110 +1 other reference |
| Palache et al. (1951) +1 other reference |
| American Mineralogist 27:443 +1 other reference |
| Palache et al. (1951) +1 other reference |
| Wilson (2010) |
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Rapid Creek, Dawson mining district, Yukon, Canada