Kasolite
Mineral Pb(UO2)SiO4·H2O
Take care.
- Radioactive: Keep it in a closed, labelled box away from where people sit or sleep, handle it briefly, wash your hands after, and never grind or cut it.
- Contains lead: Wash your hands after handling it, keep it away from children, and don't make dust.
About it
Ochre-yellow to amber prisms, very heavy for its size because of its lead, in oxidized uranium deposits; best from the Kasolo and Shinkolobwe mines in Katanga, Congo.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Silicate (nesosilicate), uranophane group
- Formula
- Pb(UO2)SiO4·H2O
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 4–5
- Specific gravity
- 5.83–6.5
- Streak
- pale yellow-brown
- Lustre
- adamantine (diamond-like), greasy
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Colours
- ochre yellow, brownish yellow, orange, amber
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent, opaque
- Cleavage and fracture
- perfect in one direction
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.