Clarkeite

Clarkeite is a uranium oxide mineral with the chemical formula(Na,Ca,Pb)2(UO2)2(O,OH)3 or (Na,Ca,Pb)(UO2)O(OH)·0-1H2O. Its color varies from dark brown to reddish orange. Clarkeite forms by oxidation and replacement of uraninite late during pegmatite crystallization. Although uraninite-bearing granite pegmatites are common, clarkeite is rare and occurs intimately intergrown with other uranium minerals. It is known from only two localities; the Spruce Pine pegmatite district in western North Carolina, US, and Rajputana, in the Ajmer district, India. Clarkeite is the only known naturally occurring high-temperature uranate. The general formula for ideal clarkeite is Na[(UO2)O(OH)](H2O)0–1. It was named for Frank Wigglesworth Clarke (1847–1931), American mineral chemist, and former chief chemist of the United States Geological Survey.