Meta-autunite
Mineral Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2·6H2O
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.
- Fragile: Handle it gently and pack it well; it breaks or crumbles easily.
About it
What autunite becomes after losing some water in dry air; it looks much the same but may turn dull and crumbly. Many older autunite specimens in collections are now meta-autunite; radioactive.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Phosphate, meta-autunite group (uranyl)
- Formula
- Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2·6H2O
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 2–2.5
- Streak
- pale yellow
- Lustre
- vitreous (glassy), pearly
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Colours
- lemon yellow, greenish yellow
- Transparency
- translucent
- Cleavage and fracture
- perfect in one direction, mica-like flakes
- Under UV light
- yellow-green under UV, often weaker than autunite
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.