Caldasite (Portuguese: Caldasito, German: Zirkonglaskopf, Spanish: Caldasita)[1] is a rare uraniferous ore of zirconium found in the Poços de Caldas massif, located in the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, Brazil.

Caldasite
Zircon-favas[1]
Composition
PrimaryZircon (ZrSiO4), Baddeleyite (ZrO2)
SecondaryUranium (as triuranium octoxide [U2O3])

It is most often found as a dark gray, very dense, hard rock. It also appears as a friable brown substance.[2]

The massif is an alkaline complex, formed by a large intrusion during the mid-Cretaceous. The ore is a result of hydrothermal alteration of the nepheline-syenitic rocks; it has also been weathered out and concentrated in paleoplacer deposits.

References

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  1. ^ a b Caldasite, Mindat.org, retrieved January 30, 2016
  2. ^ Gonçalves, J.R.; Lakschevitz Jr., A. (August 1973). "Study of the mineral characteristics of caldasite". INIS (in Portuguese). International Nuclear Information System. INIS-MF--1563. Retrieved 8 February 2016.

Further reading

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