Black single crystal of the rare tantalum mineral tantalowodginite from a little known locality in Alabama: Coosa County, Alabama, United States of America. Ex Vandenbroucke Museum collection from Waregem, Belgium. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tantalowodginite
Tantalowodginite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the oxides & hydroxide class, with the chemical formula (Mn, )TaTa₂O₈.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group C2/c). It is a member of the Wodginite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 5.5; specific gravity 7.61; Yellowish tan streak; Vitreous to sub-adamantine luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Ttwdg, IMA status: approved, named in 2018.
Found in the quartz-K-feldspar core of a complexly zoned pegmatite dike intruded into high-grade metasedimentary migmatites.
It is found associated with Tantalite-(Mn), wodginite, columbite-(Mn), muscovite, fluorapatite, quartz, K-feldspar.
The name refers to dominant tantalum in the B-site in a member of the wodginite group.