Quick Links : The Mindat Manual The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Mindat Newsletter [Free Download]

Home Page About Mindat The Mindat Manual History of Mindat Copyright Status Who We Are Contact Us Advertise on Mindat

Donate to Mindat Corporate Sponsorship Sponsor a Page Sponsored Pages Mindat Advertisers Advertise on Mindat

Learning Center What is a mineral?The most common minerals on earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles The Elements The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Geologic Time Explore Fossils

Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Mineral Visual Explorer Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Localities Near Me Search Articles Search Glossary More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Mining Companies Statistics Users Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events The Mindat Directory Device Settings The Mineral Quiz Time Machine

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Color Photo Colour Explorer New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

Niobocarbide

A valid IMA mineral species

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.

Photos of Niobocarbide (5)Discuss Niobocarbide

Niobocarbide Gallery Search Photos of Niobocarbide

Edit Niobocarbide Add Synonym Edit CIF structures Clear Cache

Niobocarbide, etc.

Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Niobocarbide

Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Niobocarbide

Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Niobocarbide, etc.

Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Niobocarbide

Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Niobocarbide, etc.

Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Niobocarbide

Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Hide all sections | Show all sections

About NiobocarbideHide

Formula:

(Nb,Ta)C

Colour:

Bronze to straw-yellow

Lustre:

Metallic

Hardness:

Crystal System:

Isometric

Name:

Named in allusion to its composition, being comprised of NIOBium and carbon, as a CARBIDE.

Type Locality:

ⓘ Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Isostructural with:

Tantalcarbide

The Nb analogue of tantalcarbide.

Unique combination of elements: the only Nb-C mineral known.

Exact type locality uncertain (possibly the Avrorinskii placer).

Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

7196

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:7196:9

IMA Classification of NiobocarbideHide

IMA status:

Approved

IMA Formula:

Nb⁴⁺C^4-

Approval year:

1995

First published:

1997

Classification of NiobocarbideHide

Strunz-mindat (2026):

1.BA.20

1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
B : Metallic Carbides, Silicides, Nitrides, Phosphides and Hydrides
A : Carbides

Dana 8th ed.:

1.1.29.1

1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
1 : Metals, other than the Platinum Group

Mineral SymbolsHide

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
Ncb	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 NiobocarbideHide

Lustre:

Metallic

Transparency:

Opaque

Colour:

Bronze to straw-yellow

Hardness:

8 on Mohs scale

Hardness:

VHN₅₀=1850 - 1900 kg/mm² - Vickers

Cleavage:

None Observed

Optical Data of NiobocarbideHide

Type:

Isotropic

Reflectivity:

Wavelength	R₁ (%)
400nm	24.0%
420nm	26.2%
440nm	28.6%
460nm	31.8%
480nm	33.9%
500nm	34.4%
520nm	36.2%
540nm	38.5%
560nm	41.0%
580nm	45.1%
600nm	48.2%
620nm	49.4%
640nm	51.5%
660nm	52.8%
680nm	53.6%
700nm	54.8%

Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Peak reflectance is 54.8%.

Colour in reflected light:

Light cream to pink cream

Chemistry of NiobocarbideHide

Mindat Formula:

(Nb,Ta)C

Element Weights:

Element	% weight
Nb	88.552 %
C	11.448 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.

Elements listed:

C, Nb, Ta - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Crystallography of NiobocarbideHide

Crystal System:

Isometric

Class (H-M):

m3m(4/m32/m) - Hexoctahedral

Space Group:

Fm3m

Cell Parameters:

a = 4.45 Å

Unit Cell V:

88.1 Å³

Morphology:

Octahedrons and cubo-octahedrons.

Crystal StructureHide

Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4

View
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c

Rotation
Stop | Start

Labels
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)
0011360	Niobocarbide	Wyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York rocksalt structure Crystal Structures 1 85-237		1963		0	293
0018165	Niobocarbide	Becker K, Ebert F (1925) Die Kristallstrukturen einiger binaerer Carbide und Nitride. _cod_database_code 1011323 Zeitschrift fur Physik 31 268-272		1925		0	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

data_global
_chemical_name_mineral 'Niobocarbide'
loop_
_publ_author_name
'Wyckoff R W G'
_journal_name_full 'Crystal Structures'
_journal_volume 1 
_journal_year 1963
_journal_page_first 85
_journal_page_last 237
_publ_section_title
;
 Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York
 rocksalt structure
;
_database_code_amcsd 0011360
_chemical_formula_sum 'Nb C'
_cell_length_a 4.4691
_cell_length_b 4.4691
_cell_length_c 4.4691
_cell_angle_alpha 90
_cell_angle_beta 90
_cell_angle_gamma 90
_cell_volume 89.261
_exptl_crystal_density_diffrn      7.807
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M 'F m 3 m'
loop_
_space_group_symop_operation_xyz
  'x,y,z'
  'x,1/2+y,1/2+z'
  '1/2+x,y,1/2+z'
  '1/2+x,1/2+y,z'
  'z,-x,y'
  'z,1/2-x,1/2+y'
  '1/2+z,-x,1/2+y'
  '1/2+z,1/2-x,y'
  '-y,z,-x'
  '-y,1/2+z,1/2-x'
  '1/2-y,z,1/2-x'
  '1/2-y,1/2+z,-x'
  'x,-y,z'
  'x,1/2-y,1/2+z'
  '1/2+x,-y,1/2+z'
  '1/2+x,1/2-y,z'
  '-z,x,-y'
  '-z,1/2+x,1/2-y'
  '1/2-z,x,1/2-y'
  '1/2-z,1/2+x,-y'
  'y,-z,x'
  'y,1/2-z,1/2+x'
  '1/2+y,-z,1/2+x'
  '1/2+y,1/2-z,x'
  '-x,y,-z'
  '-x,1/2+y,1/2-z'
  '1/2-x,y,1/2-z'
  '1/2-x,1/2+y,-z'
  'x,-z,-y'
  'x,1/2-z,1/2-y'
  '1/2+x,-z,1/2-y'
  '1/2+x,1/2-z,-y'
  '-z,y,x'
  '-z,1/2+y,1/2+x'
  '1/2-z,y,1/2+x'
  '1/2-z,1/2+y,x'
  'y,-x,-z'
  'y,1/2-x,1/2-z'
  '1/2+y,-x,1/2-z'
  '1/2+y,1/2-x,-z'
  '-x,z,y'
  '-x,1/2+z,1/2+y'
  '1/2-x,z,1/2+y'
  '1/2-x,1/2+z,y'
  'z,-y,-x'
  'z,1/2-y,1/2-x'
  '1/2+z,-y,1/2-x'
  '1/2+z,1/2-y,-x'
  '-y,x,z'
  '-y,1/2+x,1/2+z'
  '1/2-y,x,1/2+z'
  '1/2-y,1/2+x,z'
  'x,z,y'
  'x,1/2+z,1/2+y'
  '1/2+x,z,1/2+y'
  '1/2+x,1/2+z,y'
  '-z,-y,-x'
  '-z,1/2-y,1/2-x'
  '1/2-z,-y,1/2-x'
  '1/2-z,1/2-y,-x'
  'y,x,z'
  'y,1/2+x,1/2+z'
  '1/2+y,x,1/2+z'
  '1/2+y,1/2+x,z'
  '-x,-z,-y'
  '-x,1/2-z,1/2-y'
  '1/2-x,-z,1/2-y'
  '1/2-x,1/2-z,-y'
  'z,y,x'
  'z,1/2+y,1/2+x'
  '1/2+z,y,1/2+x'
  '1/2+z,1/2+y,x'
  '-y,-x,-z'
  '-y,1/2-x,1/2-z'
  '1/2-y,-x,1/2-z'
  '1/2-y,1/2-x,-z'
  'z,x,-y'
  'z,1/2+x,1/2-y'
  '1/2+z,x,1/2-y'
  '1/2+z,1/2+x,-y'
  '-y,-z,x'
  '-y,1/2-z,1/2+x'
  '1/2-y,-z,1/2+x'
  '1/2-y,1/2-z,x'
  'x,y,-z'
  'x,1/2+y,1/2-z'
  '1/2+x,y,1/2-z'
  '1/2+x,1/2+y,-z'
  '-z,-x,y'
  '-z,1/2-x,1/2+y'
  '1/2-z,-x,1/2+y'
  '1/2-z,1/2-x,y'
  'y,z,-x'
  'y,1/2+z,1/2-x'
  '1/2+y,z,1/2-x'
  '1/2+y,1/2+z,-x'
  '-x,-y,z'
  '-x,1/2-y,1/2+z'
  '1/2-x,-y,1/2+z'
  '1/2-x,1/2-y,z'
  '-z,x,y'
  '-z,1/2+x,1/2+y'
  '1/2-z,x,1/2+y'
  '1/2-z,1/2+x,y'
  'y,-z,-x'
  'y,1/2-z,1/2-x'
  '1/2+y,-z,1/2-x'
  '1/2+y,1/2-z,-x'
  '-x,y,z'
  '-x,1/2+y,1/2+z'
  '1/2-x,y,1/2+z'
  '1/2-x,1/2+y,z'
  'z,-x,-y'
  'z,1/2-x,1/2-y'
  '1/2+z,-x,1/2-y'
  '1/2+z,1/2-x,-y'
  '-y,z,x'
  '-y,1/2+z,1/2+x'
  '1/2-y,z,1/2+x'
  '1/2-y,1/2+z,x'
  'x,-y,-z'
  'x,1/2-y,1/2-z'
  '1/2+x,-y,1/2-z'
  '1/2+x,1/2-y,-z'
  '-x,z,-y'
  '-x,1/2+z,1/2-y'
  '1/2-x,z,1/2-y'
  '1/2-x,1/2+z,-y'
  'z,-y,x'
  'z,1/2-y,1/2+x'
  '1/2+z,-y,1/2+x'
  '1/2+z,1/2-y,x'
  '-y,x,-z'
  '-y,1/2+x,1/2-z'
  '1/2-y,x,1/2-z'
  '1/2-y,1/2+x,-z'
  'x,-z,y'
  'x,1/2-z,1/2+y'
  '1/2+x,-z,1/2+y'
  '1/2+x,1/2-z,y'
  '-z,y,-x'
  '-z,1/2+y,1/2-x'
  '1/2-z,y,1/2-x'
  '1/2-z,1/2+y,-x'
  'y,-x,z'
  'y,1/2-x,1/2+z'
  '1/2+y,-x,1/2+z'
  '1/2+y,1/2-x,z'
  '-x,-z,y'
  '-x,1/2-z,1/2+y'
  '1/2-x,-z,1/2+y'
  '1/2-x,1/2-z,y'
  'z,y,-x'
  'z,1/2+y,1/2-x'
  '1/2+z,y,1/2-x'
  '1/2+z,1/2+y,-x'
  '-y,-x,z'
  '-y,1/2-x,1/2+z'
  '1/2-y,-x,1/2+z'
  '1/2-y,1/2-x,z'
  'x,z,-y'
  'x,1/2+z,1/2-y'
  '1/2+x,z,1/2-y'
  '1/2+x,1/2+z,-y'
  '-z,-y,x'
  '-z,1/2-y,1/2+x'
  '1/2-z,-y,1/2+x'
  '1/2-z,1/2-y,x'
  'y,x,-z'
  'y,1/2+x,1/2-z'
  '1/2+y,x,1/2-z'
  '1/2+y,1/2+x,-z'
  '-z,-x,-y'
  '-z,1/2-x,1/2-y'
  '1/2-z,-x,1/2-y'
  '1/2-z,1/2-x,-y'
  'y,z,x'
  'y,1/2+z,1/2+x'
  '1/2+y,z,1/2+x'
  '1/2+y,1/2+z,x'
  '-x,-y,-z'
  '-x,1/2-y,1/2-z'
  '1/2-x,-y,1/2-z'
  '1/2-x,1/2-y,-z'
  'z,x,y'
  'z,1/2+x,1/2+y'
  '1/2+z,x,1/2+y'
  '1/2+z,1/2+x,y'
  '-y,-z,-x'
  '-y,1/2-z,1/2-x'
  '1/2-y,-z,1/2-x'
  '1/2-y,1/2-z,-x'
loop_
_atom_site_label
_atom_site_fract_x
_atom_site_fract_y
_atom_site_fract_z
Nb   0.00000   0.00000   0.00000
C   0.50000   0.50000   0.50000

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
2.56 Å	(100)
2.22 Å	(90)
1.574 Å	(80)
1.343 Å	(80)
1.289 Å	(70)
1.115 Å	(30)

Locality:

Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
Near-surface Processes
26 : Hadean detrital minerals

Type Occurrence of NiobocarbideHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Avrorinskii Placer, Aktai River, Baranchinsky Massif, Nizhnii Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia

General Appearance of Type Material:

Cubic and octahedral crystals and as rounded grains to 0.2 mm.

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Moscow, Russia, 88657.

Geological Setting of Type Material:

PGM-gold placer.

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Synonyms of NiobocarbideHide

IMA1995-035

Other Language Names for NiobocarbideHide

Dutch:Niobocarbide

German:Niobocarbid

Russian:Ниобокарбид

Common AssociatesHide

Associations Based on Photo Data:

7 photos of Niobocarbide associated with Tantalcarbide

TaC

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

1.BA.05	Cohenite	Fe₃C	Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m)
1.BA.10	Haxonite	NiFe₂₂C₆	Iso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.BA.10	Isovite	(Cr,Fe)₂₃C₆	Iso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.BA.15	Tongbaite	Cr₃C₂	Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnma
1.BA.20	Khamrabaevite	(Ti,V,Fe)C	Iso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.BA.20	Tantalcarbide	TaC	Iso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.BA.25	Qusongite	WC	Hex. 6m2 : P6m2
1.BA.25	Zoyashlyukovaite	MoC	Hex. 6m2 : P6m2
1.BA.30	Yarlongite	Cr₄Fe₄NiC₄	Hex. 6mm : P6₃mc
1.BA.35	Edscottite	Fe₅C₂	Mon. 2/m : B2/b

Other InformationHide

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 NiobocarbideHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-7196.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

Search Engines:

Look for Niobocarbide on Google

Look for Niobocarbide images on Google

Look for Niobocarbide on Bing

Look for Niobocarbide images on Bing

Look for Niobocarbide on DuckDuckGo

Look for Niobocarbide images on DuckDuckGo

Look for Niobocarbide in the Rock H. Currier Digital Library

External Links:

Look for Niobocarbide on Webmineral

Look for Niobocarbide on Wikipedia

Look for Niobocarbide on Mineralien Atlas

Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project

References and PDF downloads at RRUFF project

American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database

Handbook of Mineralogy page PDF

Mineral Dealers:

Buy from D. Joyce minerals

References for NiobocarbideHide

Reference List:

Novgorodova, M. I., Generalov, M. E., Trubkin, N. V. (1997) The new TaC-NbC isomorphic row and niobocarbide - a new mineral from platinum placers of the Urals. Zapiski Vserossijskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva, 126 (1) 76-95

Jambor, John L.; Kovalenker, Vladimir A.; Roberts, Andrew C. (1998) New mineral names. American Mineralogist, 83. 1117-1121

Mandarino, Joseph A. (1998) Abstracts of New Mineral Descriptions. The Mineralogical Record, 29 (5) 467-479

(2005) Niobocarbide. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America

Localities for NiobocarbideHide

Showing 1 localities.

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the

symbol to view information about a locality. The

symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.

Hide all sections | Show all sections

Locality ListHide

- 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). ~~Struck out~~ - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.

Russia (TL)

Sverdlovsk Oblast

Nizhnii Tagil

Baranchinsky Massif

Aktai River

ⓘ Avrorinskii Placer (TL)

Novgorodova et al. (1997)

Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 1, 2026 23:45:27 Page updated: August 19, 2026 08:27:48

Go to top of page

Niobocarbide

About NiobocarbideHide

Unique IdentifiersHide

IMA Classification of NiobocarbideHide

Classification of NiobocarbideHide

Mineral SymbolsHide

Physical Properties of NiobocarbideHide

Optical Data of NiobocarbideHide

Chemistry of NiobocarbideHide

Crystallography of NiobocarbideHide

Crystal StructureHide

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Geological EnvironmentHide

Type Occurrence of NiobocarbideHide

Synonyms of NiobocarbideHide

Other Language Names for NiobocarbideHide

Common AssociatesHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

Other InformationHide

Internet Links for NiobocarbideHide

References for NiobocarbideHide

Localities for NiobocarbideHide

Locality ListHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide