# Microlite > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Microlite > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Microlite.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlite > Source revision: 1263594598 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Mineral This article is about the mineral. For crystals in solidifying lava, see [Microlites](/source/Microlites). For lightweight, slow-flying aeroplanes, see [Microlight](/source/Microlight). This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Microlite General Category Oxide minerals Formula (Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F) IMA symbol Mic[1] Strunz classification 04.DH.15 Crystal system Cubic Space group Fd3m (no. 227) Identification References [2] **Microlite** was once[*[when?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items)*] known as a pale-yellow, reddish-brown, or black [isometric](/source/Cubic_(crystal_system)) [mineral](/source/Mineral) composed of [sodium](/source/Sodium) [calcium](/source/Calcium) [tantalum](/source/Tantalum) [oxide](/source/Oxide) with a small amount of [fluorine](/source/Fluorine). Its chemical formula is (Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F). Today[*[when?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items)*] it is a name of a group of oxide minerals of a similar stoichiometry having tantalum prevailing over titanium and niobium. The microlite group belongs to a large [pyrochlore](/source/Pyrochlore) supergroup that occurs in [pegmatites](/source/Pegmatite) and constitutes an [ore](/source/Ore) of tantalum. It has a [Mohs hardness](/source/Mohs_hardness) of 5.5 and a variable [specific gravity](/source/Specific_gravity) of 4.2 to 6.4. It occurs as disseminated microscopic subtranslucent to opaque octahedral [crystals](/source/Crystal) with a [refractive index](/source/Refractive_index) of 2.0 to 2.2. Microlite is also called djalmaite, but both names are now obsolete. "Microlite" occurs as a primary mineral in lithium-bearing granite pegmatites, and in [miarolitic cavities](/source/Miarolitic_cavity) in granites. Association minerals include: [albite](/source/Albite), [lepidolite](/source/Lepidolite), [topaz](/source/Topaz), [beryl](/source/Beryl), [tourmaline](/source/Tourmaline), [spessartine](/source/Spessartine), [tantalite](/source/Tantalite) and [fluorite](/source/Fluorite). "Microlite" was first described in 1835 for an occurrence on the Island of Uto, State of Stockholm, [Sweden](/source/Sweden). Another occurrence of microlite is the Clark Ledges pegmatite, Chesterfield, [Hampshire County, Massachusetts](/source/Hampshire_County%2C_Massachusetts). The name is from Greek *mikros* for "small" and *lithos* for "stone". ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Warr, L.N. (2021). ["IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols"](https://doi.org/10.1180%2Fmgm.2021.43). *Mineralogical Magazine*. **85** (3): 291–320. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2021MinM...85..291W](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021MinM...85..291W). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1180/mgm.2021.43](https://doi.org/10.1180%2Fmgm.2021.43). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [235729616](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:235729616). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-HBM_2-0)** Anthony, John W.; Bideaux, Richard A.; Bladh, Kenneth W.; Nichols, Monte C. (eds.). [*Handbook of Mineralogy*](http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/microlite.pdf) (PDF). Chantilly, VA 20151-1110, USA: Mineralogical Society of America. Retrieved 12 February 2022.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location)) ## Additional reading - Andrade, M. B., Atencio, D., Menezes Filho, L. A., & Ellena, J. (2011). The crystal structure of a microlite-group mineral with a formula near NaCaTa2O6F from the Morro Redondo mine, Coronel Murta, Minas Gerais, Brazil (vol 49, pg 615, 2011). Canadian Mineralogist, 49(5), 1338–1338.[\[1\]](https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/canmin/article-abstract/49/2/615/127247/the-crystal-structure-of-a-microlite-group-mineral) - Atencio, D., Andrade, M. B., Christy, A. G., Gieré, R., & Kartashov, P. M. (2010). The pyrochlore supergroup of minerals: nomenclature. The Canadian Mineralogist, 48(3), 673–698.[\[2\]](https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/canmin/article-abstract/48/3/673/127162/THE-PYROCHLORE-SUPERGROUP-OF-MINERALS-NOMENCLATURE) - Barthelmy, David (2014). ["Microlite Mineral Data"](http://webmineral.com/data/Microlite.shtml). *Mineralogy Database*. Webmineral.com. Retrieved 12 February 2022. - ["Microlite"](https://www.mindat.org/show.php?id=2705). *[mindat.org](/source/Mindat.org)*. - Palache, C., H. Berman, and C. Frondel (1944) *Dana’s system of mineralogy*, (7th edition), v. I, 748–757 Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Microlite](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Microlite). This article about a specific oxide mineral is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Oxide-mineral-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AOxide-mineral-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Oxide-mineral-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Microlite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlite) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlite?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.