:Almost all of the light areas fluoresce either very bright light blue or a somewhat less intense creamy blue-white. (See the UV + ambient light child photo for more on this.) Under the scope, I initially thought there might be two different fluorescing minerals. But upon further examination/reflection, I think that only the baratovite is fluorescing. There is another platy, transparent, mineral present (albite ?), but it does not fluoresce. The baratovite appears platy pink with some yellowish or greenish areas. But all of it has a "cracked glaze" appearance that reminds me of vuonemmite or epistolite - the plates are fairly thick. Updated May 2014 with a new full res photo showing the "crackly" appearance more clearly. The original photo remains as a stereo pair, but I have added a new UV + ambient light child photo. Via D. Haldeman. MOB photos. From: Dara-i-Pioz Glacier, Alai Range, Tien Shan Mtn, Region of Republican Subordination, Tajikistan — Photo: Modris Baum · CC0
Baratovite
A very rare cyclosilicate discovered in 1974 at Tajikistan's Dara-Pioz glacier and named for Tajik geologist Rauf Baratov.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Baratovite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula KLi₃Ca₇Ti₂(SiO₃)₁₂F₂.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group C2/c). It is a member of the Baratovite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 3.5–4; specific gravity 2.92; Vitreous, pearly in part luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Btv, IMA status: approved, named in 1974.
An accessory mineral in quartz-albite-aegirine veinlets and in albitites in syenites (Dara-i-Pioz massif, Tajikistan); a fine-grained accessory mineral in a small aegirine syenite stock in coarse-grained biotite granite (Iwagi Islet.
It is found associated with Miserite, ekanite, titanite, quartz, albite, aegirine (Dara-i-Pioz massif, Tajikistan); albite, aegirine, pectolite, sugilite, allanite, titanite, andradite.
The name refers to Rauf Baratovich Baratov (1921{), Soviet petrologist, Institute of Geology, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.