Namibite from Alakurtti Pegmatites, Kola Region

Abstract

Namibite, Cu(BiO)₂(VO₄)(OH), has been found in a sample from the Alakurtti granite pegmatites for the first time in Russia. This sample has been deposited in the collection of the Museum of Geology and Mineralogy of the Geological Institute, Kola Science Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences. Bright green crusts and peels of namibite fill cavities and fractures in quartz. The mineral occurs as an aggregate of near-parallel sliced individuals. The other Bi-minerals, beyerite and bismuthite, are associated with namibite. The article provides data on morphology, chemical composition, X-ray powder pattern and Raman spectroscopy of the mineral, which are consistent with those for namibite published in literature.