Leesite, K(H2O)2[(UO2)4O2(OH)5]·3H2O, a new K-bearing schoepite-family mineral from the Jomac mine, San Juan County, Utah, U.S.A

Travis A. Olds; Jakub Plášil; Anthony R. Kampf; Tyler Spano; Patrick Haynes; Shawn M. Carlson; Peter C. Burns; Antonio Simonetti; Owen P. Mills

doi:10.2138/am-2018-6083

Leesite, K(H₂O)₂[(UO₂)₄O₂(OH)₅]·3H₂O, a new K-bearing schoepite-family mineral from the Jomac mine, San Juan County, Utah, U.S.A

Travis A. Olds
, Jakub Plášil
, Anthony R. Kampf
, Tyler Spano
, Patrick Haynes
, Shawn M. Carlson
, Peter C. Burns
, Antonio Simonetti
, Owen P. Mills

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Leesite (IMA2016-064), K(H₂O)₂[(UO₂)₄O₂(OH)₅]·3H₂O, is a new uranyl-oxide hydroxyl-hydrate found underground in the Jomac mine, Brown's Rim, White Canyon mining district, San Juan County, Utah. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses provided the empirical formula K_0.67Na_0.004Ca_0.012U₄O₂₀H_15.31, based on 4 U and 20 O apfu. Sheets in the crystal structure of leesite adopt the fourmarierite anion topology, and so belong to the schoepite family of related structures that differ in the interlayer composition and arrangement, and charge of the sheet. Leesite may form as one of the principal components of "gummite" mixtures formed during the alteration of uraninite, and the unit cell of leesite resembles the previously described, but poorly understood mineral, paraschoepite. Uptake of dangerous radionuclides (⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁵Cs, ¹³⁷Cs, ²³⁷Np, ²³⁸Pu) into the structure of leesite and other members of the family has important implications for the safe disposal of nuclear waste.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	143-150
Number of pages	8
Journal	American Mineralogist
Volume	103
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2018-6083
State	Published - Jan 26 2018
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This research is funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Materials Science of Actinides Energy Frontier Research Center (DE-SC0001089). The Element2 HR-ICP-MS instrument used for chemical analyses is housed within the Midwest Isotope and Trace Element Research Analytical Center (MITERAC) at the University of Notre Dame. Electron microscopy was carried out in the Applied Chemical and Morphological Analysis Laboratory at Michigan Technological University. The John Jago Trelawney Endowment to the Mineral Sciences Department of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County funded a portion of this study. Jakub Plášil is thankful for the support from the project GACR 15-12653S.

Keywords

Crystal structure
Leesite
Schoepite
Sheet anion topology
Uraninite
Uranium

Access to Document

10.2138/am-2018-6083

Cite this

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title = "Leesite, K(H2O)2[(UO2)4O2(OH)5]·3H2O, a new K-bearing schoepite-family mineral from the Jomac mine, San Juan County, Utah, U.S.A",

abstract = "Leesite (IMA2016-064), K(H2O)2[(UO2)4O2(OH)5]·3H2O, is a new uranyl-oxide hydroxyl-hydrate found underground in the Jomac mine, Brown's Rim, White Canyon mining district, San Juan County, Utah. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses provided the empirical formula K0.67Na0.004Ca0.012U4O20H15.31, based on 4 U and 20 O apfu. Sheets in the crystal structure of leesite adopt the fourmarierite anion topology, and so belong to the schoepite family of related structures that differ in the interlayer composition and arrangement, and charge of the sheet. Leesite may form as one of the principal components of {"}gummite{"} mixtures formed during the alteration of uraninite, and the unit cell of leesite resembles the previously described, but poorly understood mineral, paraschoepite. Uptake of dangerous radionuclides (90Sr, 135Cs, 137Cs, 237Np, 238Pu) into the structure of leesite and other members of the family has important implications for the safe disposal of nuclear waste.",

keywords = "Crystal structure, Leesite, Schoepite, Sheet anion topology, Uraninite, Uranium",

author = "Olds, \{Travis A.\} and Jakub Pl{\'a}{\v s}il and Kampf, \{Anthony R.\} and Tyler Spano and Patrick Haynes and Carlson, \{Shawn M.\} and Burns, \{Peter C.\} and Antonio Simonetti and Mills, \{Owen P.\}",

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month = jan,

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doi = "10.2138/am-2018-6083",

language = "English",

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T1 - Leesite, K(H2O)2[(UO2)4O2(OH)5]·3H2O, a new K-bearing schoepite-family mineral from the Jomac mine, San Juan County, Utah, U.S.A

AU - Olds, Travis A.

AU - Plášil, Jakub

AU - Kampf, Anthony R.

AU - Spano, Tyler

AU - Haynes, Patrick

AU - Carlson, Shawn M.

AU - Burns, Peter C.

AU - Simonetti, Antonio

AU - Mills, Owen P.

PY - 2018/1/26

Y1 - 2018/1/26

N2 - Leesite (IMA2016-064), K(H2O)2[(UO2)4O2(OH)5]·3H2O, is a new uranyl-oxide hydroxyl-hydrate found underground in the Jomac mine, Brown's Rim, White Canyon mining district, San Juan County, Utah. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses provided the empirical formula K0.67Na0.004Ca0.012U4O20H15.31, based on 4 U and 20 O apfu. Sheets in the crystal structure of leesite adopt the fourmarierite anion topology, and so belong to the schoepite family of related structures that differ in the interlayer composition and arrangement, and charge of the sheet. Leesite may form as one of the principal components of "gummite" mixtures formed during the alteration of uraninite, and the unit cell of leesite resembles the previously described, but poorly understood mineral, paraschoepite. Uptake of dangerous radionuclides (90Sr, 135Cs, 137Cs, 237Np, 238Pu) into the structure of leesite and other members of the family has important implications for the safe disposal of nuclear waste.

AB - Leesite (IMA2016-064), K(H2O)2[(UO2)4O2(OH)5]·3H2O, is a new uranyl-oxide hydroxyl-hydrate found underground in the Jomac mine, Brown's Rim, White Canyon mining district, San Juan County, Utah. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses provided the empirical formula K0.67Na0.004Ca0.012U4O20H15.31, based on 4 U and 20 O apfu. Sheets in the crystal structure of leesite adopt the fourmarierite anion topology, and so belong to the schoepite family of related structures that differ in the interlayer composition and arrangement, and charge of the sheet. Leesite may form as one of the principal components of "gummite" mixtures formed during the alteration of uraninite, and the unit cell of leesite resembles the previously described, but poorly understood mineral, paraschoepite. Uptake of dangerous radionuclides (90Sr, 135Cs, 137Cs, 237Np, 238Pu) into the structure of leesite and other members of the family has important implications for the safe disposal of nuclear waste.

KW - Crystal structure

KW - Leesite

KW - Schoepite

KW - Sheet anion topology

KW - Uraninite

KW - Uranium

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