Svabite . Caryopilite Dimensions: 9.0 cm x 8.0 cm x 4.0 cm Locality: Harstigen Mine, Pajsberg, Persberg ore district, Filipstad, Värmland County, Sweden A brown, black, and medium gray mottled specimen consisting of massive svabite (calcium arsenate) and caryopilite (manganese magnesium silicate hydroxide). Svabite occurs in knots of gray, granular, cleavable massive grains to 1 mm and caryopilite is present as granular massive, platy, brown aggregates. Both are associated with black, irregular patches of what are interpreted here as hausmannite. From the Harstigen mine, Persberg district, Filipstad, Varmland, Sweden. Ex. Paulo Matioli collection and has a Swedish Museum of Natural History label. — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0
Svabite
A rare calcium arsenate of the apatite group — the arsenic analogue of apatite.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Svabite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the arsenate class, with the chemical formula Ca₅(AsO₄)₃F.
It crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system (space group P-1). It is a member of the Apatite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 4–5; specific gravity 3.5–3.8; Vitreous to subresinous luster; optically uniaxial.
IMA symbol Sva, grandfathered status — known before the IMA’s founding, named in 1891.
Found as a rare accessory mineral in calcsilicate contact metamorphic rocks (skarns).
It is found associated with Manganoan diopside, brandtite, sarkinite, garnet (Harstigen mine, Sweden); hausmannite (Jakobsberg, Sweden); manganoan diopside, tilasite, manganberzeliite.
The mineral was named to honor Anton Svab (1703-1768), Swedish mining official.