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Chambersite
Current inventory:  1 gem
 

Chemistry:  Mn₃B₇O₁₃Cl

Discovered in 1962;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Chambersite is named after Chambers County, Texas where it was discovered.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Borates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

5/L.04-30

5 : Nitrates, Carbonates & Borates
L : Shelly borates with [BO2]1- to [B6O10]2-
04 : Boracite - Congolite series

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Orthorhombic - Pyramidal

Crystal Habit:

Crystals Crystals are pseudotetrahedral, to 2 cm, paramorphous and composed of microscopically twinned aggregates of orthorhombic material inverted from the high-temperature form.

Twinning:

Rare as interpenetrant twins (pseudocubic)

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

None

Fracture:

Subconchoidal to Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Hardness (Mohs):

7.0

Density:

3.49 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Colorless, Lilac to dark Purple, Brownish Purple (may darken with exposure to sunlight)

Transparency:

Transparent to Opaque

Luster:

Vitreous (glassy)

Refractive Index:

1.732 - 1.744  Biaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.0120

Dispersion:

r > v

Pleochroism:

None

Occurances

Geological Setting:

In brine residues from extraction wells in salt domes

Type Locality:

Barbers Hill Salt Dome (Barbers Hill), Mont Belvieu, Chambers Co., Texas, USA

Year Discovered:

1962

View mineral photos:

Chambersite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

Chambersite is a rare borate mineral and is the manganese analogue of Boracite. It is an extremely rare mineral and faceted gems are almost non-existant. The tetrahedral shaped crystals are so small (up to 10mm on edge) that Chambersite gems are usually not 'cut' but the surfaces of the natural crystal shape are just polished. Most crystals are too small and/or too dark to be faceted. Chambersite was discovered in 1962 in a salt brine storage well at Barbers Hill Salt Dome (Barbers Hill), Mont Belvieu, Chambers County, Texas, USA. The only way to find the tiny crystals is by diving to depths of as much as 70 feet in the salt brine.

There are very few locations for finding Chambersite: in the USA, from the Barber’s Hill salt dome, Mont Belvieu, Chambers County, Texas and the Venice salt dome, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana; in the Jixian Mn–B deposits, Hebei Province, China; from Pomyarka, near Truskarets, Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine.
 

  
Chambersite gems for sale: