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Download hereGENERAL DESCRIPTION
Behierite is a very rare niobium and tantalum borate which is formed in granitic pegmatites. These crystals are of small size (up to 7 mm).
In the deposit of Antsongombato (Madagascar), they were formed in intergrowth with schiavinatoite ((Nb, Ta) BO4) which is the nobium (Nb)-rich analogue of behierite. The crystals are pseudo-octahedral, of colour pink-grayish.
The famous deposits are Manjaka and Antsongombato in Madagascar and pegmatite Animikie Red Ace (ARA), Pine River in Wisconsin, USA. This last deposit was opened in 2001.
The type of this species is kept at the National Museum of Natural History of Washington, USA (coming from Manjaka in Madagascar).
HISTORY : Species dedicated to Jean Béhier (1903-1965), French mineralogist who discovered the species and was the first to describe it.
Species first described in 1960 by Jean Béhier
Type-locality: Manjaka, Antsirabe, Madagascar
CHEMICAL FORMULA : (Ta,Nb) BO4
CRYSTAL SYSTEM : Tetragonal
COLOR : Pink to pink grayish
DIAPHANIETY : Translucide
LUSTER : Adamantine
STREAK : White
MORPHOLOGIE : Pseudo-octahedric crystals
HARDNESS : 7,0-7,5
CHEMICAL CLASS: 7,91
DENSITY : VI - Sulfates, chromates, tungstates and molybdates
GROUP : Béhierite
STRUNZ CLASS BEFORE 2001 : 5/G.07-20
STRUNZ CLASS AFTER 2001 : 6.AC.10
