Schoepite
Mineral (UO2)8O2(OH)12·12H2O
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.
About it
Yellow tabular crystals and crusts on weathered uraninite that slowly lose water and turn to metaschoepite. Radioactive; Shinkolobwe, DR Congo, is the classic source.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Hydroxide (uranyl oxide hydrate)
- Formula
- (UO2)8O2(OH)12·12H2O
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 2.5
- Specific gravity
- 4.8
- Streak
- yellow
- Lustre
- adamantine (diamond-like), greasy
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Colours
- yellow, lemon yellow, brownish yellow
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent
- Cleavage and fracture
- perfect basal
- Under UV light
- sometimes weak yellow-green under UV
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.