Cafetite , Lizardite , Calcite Base 4 mm Locality: Val di Serra Quarry, Pilcante, Ala, Lagarina Valley, Trento Province, Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-Südtirol), Italy Original description: Collection and photo Giorgio Bortolozzi — Photo: Giorgio Bortolozzi · CC BY-SA 3.0
Cafetite
A rare calcium-iron-titanium oxide named for its composition, first described from the Afrikanda massif on the Kola Peninsula.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Cafetite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the oxides & hydroxide class, with the chemical formula CaTi₂O₅·H₂O.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group P2_1/n).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 4–5; specific gravity 3.28; Adamantine luster; refractive index 2.047; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Cft, IMA status: approved, named in 1959.
A late mineral in miarolitic cavities in pegmatites cutting a pyroxenite massif.
It is found associated with Ilmenite, titanomagnetite, titanite, anatase, perovskite, baddeleyite, phlogopite, clinochlore, kassite.
The name refers to CAlcium, iron (FErrum), and TITanium in the composition.