Blatterite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Blatterite
Fritz Blatter july 2019
Formula:
Sb5+3(Mn3+,Fe3+)9(Mn2+,Mg)35(BO3)16O32
Colour:
Black
Lustre:
Metallic, Sub-Metallic
Hardness:
6
Specific Gravity:
4.18 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Member of:
Name:
Named in honor of Fritz Blatter (1943– ), German mineral collector, who provided the original material.
First described as a new mineral by Raade et al. (1988) from Kitteln Mine, Nordmark, Sweden. The structure was solved and refined by Cooper & Hawthorne (1998).
At the type locality (Kitteln mine, Sweden), blatterite is found embedded in calcite or manganosite.
The mineral differs from the related minerals in the orthopinakiolite group by its large unit cell (a = 37.69 Å).
At the type locality (Kitteln mine, Sweden), blatterite is found embedded in calcite or manganosite.
The mineral differs from the related minerals in the orthopinakiolite group by its large unit cell (a = 37.69 Å).
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
694
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:694:9
Similar Names
| Baltorite | A rock subtype |
IMA Classification of Blatterite
Approved
IMA Formula:
Sb5+3Mn3+9Mn2+35(BO3)16O32
Approval year:
1984
First published:
1988
Classification of Blatterite
6.AB.40
6 : BORATES
A : Monoborates
B : BO3, with additional anions; 1(D) + OH, etc.
6 : BORATES
A : Monoborates
B : BO3, with additional anions; 1(D) + OH, etc.
24.2.7.1
24 : ANHYDROUS BORATES
2 : A2BO2[XO3]
24 : ANHYDROUS BORATES
2 : A2BO2[XO3]
9.7.9
9 : Borates
7 : Borates of Mn
9 : Borates
7 : Borates of Mn
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bla | 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 Blatterite
Metallic, Sub-Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Black
Streak:
Brown
Hardness:
6 on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Very brittle
Cleavage:
Perfect
on {001}
on {001}
Parting:
imperfect parting on {100}
Density:
4.18 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Blatterite
Type:
Biaxial (-)
RI values:
nα = 1.91 nβ = 1.97 nγ = 2
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.090
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.
No measured or calculated 2V is on file for this mineral, so the value used here (69°) is estimated from its recorded refractive indices and optic sign, not from a direct 2V measurement.
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.
No measured or calculated 2V is on file for this mineral, so the value used here (69°) is estimated from its recorded refractive indices and optic sign, not from a direct 2V measurement.
Anisotropism:
Weak to distinct, in shades of grayish brown
Dispersion:
r < v
Optical Extinction:
X = a; Y = c; Z = b.
Reflectivity:
| Wavelength | R1 (%) | R2 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 400nm | 11.1% | 12.4% |
| 420nm | 10.9% | 12.2% |
| 440nm | 10.7% | 12.0% |
| 460nm | 10.5% | 11.9% |
| 480nm | 10.4% | 11.8% |
| 500nm | 10.3% | 11.7% |
| 520nm | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 540nm | 10.1% | 11.5% |
| 560nm | 10.0% | 11.4% |
| 580nm | 9.98% | 11.4% |
| 600nm | 9.97% | 11.3% |
| 620nm | 9.95% | 11.3% |
| 640nm | 9.93% | 11.2% |
| 660nm | 9.91% | 11.2% |
| 680nm | 9.88% | 11.1% |
| 700nm | 9.86% | 11.1% |
Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Peak reflectance is 12.4%.
R1 shown in black, R2 shown in red
Chemistry of Blatterite
Mindat Formula:
Sb5+3(Mn3+,Fe3+)9(Mn2+,Mg)35(BO3)16O32
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Blatterite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm(2/m2/m2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:
Pnnm
Setting:
Pnnm
Cell Parameters:
a = 37.69 Å, b = 12.62 Å, c = 6.25 Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 2.987 : 1 : 0.495
Unit Cell V:
2,972.80 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
32
Morphology:
Crystals with a flat, diamond-shaped cross-section, prisms {110}: striated along the length. Often with dull surfaces.
Crystal Structure
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2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
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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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0005563 | Blatterite | Cooper M A, Hawthorne F C (1998) The crystal structure of blatterite, Sb3(Mn,Fe)9(Mn,Mg)35(BO3)16O32, and structural hierarchy in Mn-bearing zigzag borates The Canadian Mineralogist 36 1171-1193 |  | 1998 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2.605 Å | (100) |
| 5.243 Å | (45) |
| 2.721 Å | (40) |
| 2.621 Å | (35) |
| 1.564 Å | (35) |
| 2.520 Å | (30) |
| 5.621 Å | (20) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| High-? alteration and/or metamorphism | |
| 32 : Ba/Mn/Pb/Zn deposits, including metamorphic deposits |
Geological Setting:
Metamorphosed Fe–Mn orebodies
Type Occurrence of Blatterite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Lath-like crystals to 5 mm long and 1 mm wide embedded in manganosite or calcite.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
At the Mineralogical-Geological Museum, University of Oslo, Norway and as specimen BM 186, 112;E1168 in the British Museum (Natural History).
Empirical Formula of Type Material:
(Mn2+1.21Mg0.79)Σ2.00(Mn3+0.69Sb3+0.19Fe3+0.11)Σ0.99(B1.01O3)O2
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Metamorphosed manganese orebody.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Blatterite
Other Language Names for Blatterite
Relationship of Blatterite to other Species
Member of:
Other Members of Orthopinakiolite Group:
| Chestermanite | Mg2(Fe3+,Mn3+,Al,Sb3+)(BO3)O2 | Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) |
| Orthopinakiolite | (Mg,Mn2+)2Mn3+(BO3)O2 | Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnnm |
| Takéuchiite | (Mg,Mn2+)2(Mn3+,Fe3+)(BO3)O2 | Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnnm |
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 6 photos of Blatterite associated with Pyrochroite | Mn(OH)2 |
| 6 photos of Blatterite associated with Calcite | CaCO3 |
| 1 photo of Blatterite associated with Katoptrite | (Mn2+,Mg)13(Al,Fe3+)4Sb5+2(SiO4)2O20 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 6.AB. | Chubarovite | KZn2(BO3)Cl2 |
| 6.AB. | Rhabdoborite-(Mo) | Mg12Mo6+1.33O6(BO3)6F2 |
| 6.AB.05 | Hambergite | Be2(BO3)(OH) |
| 6.AB.10 | Berborite | Be2(BO3)(OH) · H2O |
| 6.AB.15 | Jeremejevite | Al6(BO3)5(F,OH)3 |
| 6.AB.20 | Yuanfuliite | Mg(Fe3+,Al)O(BO3) |
| 6.AB.20 | Warwickite | (Mg,Ti,Fe,Al)2O(BO3) |
| 6.AB.25 | Karlite | (Mg,Al)6.5(BO3)3(OH)4(◻,Cl)0.5 |
| 6.AB.30 | Marinaite | Cu2Fe3+O2(BO3) |
| 6.AB.30 | Savelievaite | Mg2Cr3+O2(BO3) |
| 6.AB.30 | Fredrikssonite | Mg2Mn3+O2(BO3) |
| 6.AB.30 | Vonsenite | Fe2+2Fe3+(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.30 | Ludwigite | Mg2Fe3+(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.30 | Azoproite | (Mg,Fe2+)2(Fe3+,Ti,Mg)(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.30 | Bonaccordite | Ni2Fe3+(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.35 | Folvikite | Sb5+Mn3+(Mg,Mn2+)10O8(BO3)4 |
| 6.AB.35 | Pinakiolite | (Mg,Mn2+)2Mn3+(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.40 | Takéuchiite | (Mg,Mn2+)2(Mn3+,Fe3+)(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.40 | Orthopinakiolite | (Mg,Mn2+)2Mn3+(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.40 | Chestermanite | Mg2(Fe3+,Mn3+,Al,Sb3+)(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.45 | Aluminomagnesiohulsite | (Mg,Fe2+)2(Al,Mg,Sn)(BO3)O2 |
| 6.AB.45 | Hulsite | Fe2+2Fe3+O2(BO3) |
| 6.AB.45 | Magnesiohulsite | Mg2Fe3+O2(BO3) |
| 6.AB.50 | Fluoborite | Mg3(BO3)(F,OH)3 |
| 6.AB.50 | Hydroxylborite | Mg3(BO3)(OH)3 |
| 6.AB.55 | Shabynite | Mg5(BO3)(OH)5(Cl,OH)2 · 4H2O |
| 6.AB.55 | Wightmanite | Mg5(BO3)O(OH)5 · 2H2O |
| 6.AB.60 | Gaudefroyite | Ca4Mn3+2-3(BO3)3(CO3)(O,OH)3 |
| 6.AB.65 | Sakhaite | Ca48Mg16(BO3)32(CO3)16 · 2(H2O,HCl) |
| 6.AB.70 | Harkerite | Ca48Mg16[AlSi4O15(OH)]4(BO3)16(CO3)16 · 2(H2O,HCl) |
| 6.AB.75 | Pertsevite-(F) | Mg2(BO3)(F,OH) |
| 6.AB.75 | Pertsevite-(OH) | Mg2(BO3)(OH) |
| 6.AB.80 | Jacquesdietrichite | Cu2(H2BO3)(OH)3 |
| 6.AB.85 | Rhabdoborite-(V) | Mg12(V5+,Mo6+,W6+)1.5O6{[BO3]6-x[(P,As)O4]xF2-x} (x < 1) |
| 6.AB.85 | Rhabdoborite-(W) | Mg12(W6+,V5+)1.5O6{[BO3]6-x[(P,As)O4]xF2-x} |
| 6.AB.85 | Painite | CaZrAl9(BO3)O15 |
| 6.AB.90 | Mengxianminite | (Ca,Na)2Sn2(Mg,Fe)3Al8[(BO3)(BeO4)O6]2 |
Other Information
Notes:
Crystals are altered to finegrained hausmannite, pyrochroite and an unidentified hydrated Fe-Mn-Mg mineral, along cleavages and grain boundaries.
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 Blatterite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-694.html
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References for Blatterite
Reference List:
Jambor, John L., Burke, Ernst A. J. (1989) New Mineral Names. American Mineralogist, 74 (11-12) 1399-1404
Bovin, J.-O.; Carlsson, A.; Sjövall, R.; Thomasson, R.; Norrestam, R.; Søtofte, I. (1996) The crystal structure of a blatterite mineral, Mg1.33Mn1.44Fe0.05Sb0.17O2BO3, a combined single crystal X-ray and HREM study. Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, 211 (7). p.440-448. doi:10.1524/zkri.1996.211.7.440
Localities for Blatterite
Showing 4 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.
Sweden | |
| Mineralogical Society of America - ... +1 other reference |
| Mineralogical Society of America - ... +1 other reference |
| Raade et al. (1988) |
| Bovin et al. (1996) |
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Kitteln Mine, Nordmark Odal Field, Filipstad, Värmland County, Sweden