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Haradaite mineral

Haradaite is a strontium-vanadyl silicate mineral with ideal formula SrV4+Si2O7, status A and approval 1963-011 in the September 2026 IMA list. The approval identifier is distinct from the 1967 structural paper and the later 1982 natural description. Natural material from the Noda-Tamagawa and Yamato mines, Japan, contains substitutions; the analyzed Yamato type material was calcian and barian, not the pure Sr endmember. The 1967 structure analysis preferred orthorhombic Amam over Ama2, with silicate chains joined by vanadium, while explicitly discussing limited reflections and possible intensity errors; that historical model is not a claim that every specimen and later refinement has been reassessed. The 1982 paper likewise prefers Amam and separates the two localities. Haradaite is distinct from elemental vanadium, generic vanadium ore and other vanadium silicates. Abiotic reagent synthesis supports a qualified formation mechanism. Geological association with other minerals does not demonstrate microbial formation, extraction or recovery, and criticality is not inherited from its constituents.

Microbial & Biochemical Mechanisms (1)

Hydrothermal crystallization from strontium-vanadium-silicate gels

other

Ito reported diffraction-assigned haradaite after hydrothermal treatment of chemically prepared strontium-vanadium-silicate gels. Table 1 run 6 used a mixture approximating the mineral composition at 600 degrees C and 35,000 psi for 72 hours, with haradaite the only product listed from powder diffraction; the matching run 6 diffraction data are given in Table 4. Other compositions and conditions yielded amorphous material or mixtures with quartz, vanadium oxides and strontium silicate. The observation supports abiotic laboratory crystallization, not a quantified purity, mineral recovery or microbial pathway.

Experimental Context & Analytical Limits:
The common method used co-precipitated gels with initial V4+, C.P.-grade starting chemicals, drying below 100 degrees C and electrically sealed gold tubing 2-5 mm in diameter. No additional water was introduced because the gels retained water. Run 6 combines the V/Si-excess Sr-H-a precursor precipitated with NH4OH and the Sr/Si-excess Sr-H-c precursor precipitated with NaOH to approximate haradaite composition. Its atmosphere is tabulated as weakly reducing, but the author states precise atmospheric control was impossible; no measured oxygen fugacity or complete initial pH is supplied. The post-run liquid was slightly alkaline only when liquid remained. Natural-pattern comparison uses Yamato material; its preferred orientation changes intensities. The bulk chemical/valence analysis in Table 8 is synthetic run 4, not run 6. No organism, biological control, replicate count, quantitative phase fraction or isolated product recovery is reported.
Curated Evidence Points:
Support Source: ito1965
Pages 300-304, Table 1 run 6 and footnote 4 specify the mixed precursors, 600 degrees C, 35,000 psi, 72 hours and the haradaite assignment. Table 4 specifically labels synthetic haradaite No. 6 and compares its powder spacings with natural Yamato haradaite; pages 306-308 discuss preferred orientation in the natural sample and index the synthetic orthorhombic cell. This supports the crystalline-product identity under this run, rather than transferring an assignment from another species.
Partial Source: ito1965
Table 1 run 8, the Sr-rich gel at 200 degrees C and 20,000 psi for 24 hours, remained amorphous; runs 9-10 at 300 and 400 degrees C under the same pressure/duration list haradaite. Other runs contain quartz, V2O3, VO2 or SrSiO3; high-temperature runs and pages 301,313 describe reduced crystal quality and unidentified blue acicular material. Table 8 bulk analysis of the V-rich run 4 reports both VO2 and V2O3 equivalents, with minor V3+ attributed to oxide contamination; it is not a site-specific analysis of run 6. The suggestion of slight hydration is not substituted for the current ideal formula. The broader 250-750 degrees C stability range and Fig. 5 equilibrium diagram are interpretations of sampled products with uncontrolled atmosphere, without reversible phase-equilibrium or microbial experiments.
Context_only Source: takeuchi1967
The independent natural-crystal study supports a haradaite structure containing vanadyl-linked silicate chains, not a synthetic-run yield. Pages 99-110 consider Amam versus Ama2: higher-level reflections were unsatisfactory, only selected reciprocal-space levels were used, some reflections were zero-weighted in lower-symmetry refinement, and possible intensity error or disorder remained. These limitations prevent treating the historical refinement as proof of perfect composition or uniquely resolved local symmetry in every specimen.
Context_only Source: watanabe1982
Pages 21-24, Figures 1-5 and Table I distinguish natural Noda-Tamagawa and Yamato material. Page 24 identifies the analyzed type material as calcian/barian, deducts Pb, Cu and water as nonessential in its empirical formula, and prefers Amam after the earlier structure work. The printed Table I instruction deletes the 121 assignment; that entry is not silently used as an accepted reflection. Natural mineral association is context, not a controlled crystallization or microbial mechanism experiment.

Sources & References

  1. ima_2026_09: IMA-CNMNC. The New IMA List of Minerals, September 2026. Haradaite row, PDF page 90: SrV4+Si2O7, A, 1963-011; status definitions page 1.
    https://cnmnc.units.it/files/editor/IMA_Master_List_(2026-09).pdf (accessed 2026-10-15)
  2. takeuchi1967: Takeuchi Y, Joswig W (1967). The structure of haradaite and a note on the Si-O bond lengths in silicates. Mineralogical Journal 5(2):98-123. Natural Noda-Tamagawa specimen, methods pages 98-100, symmetry tests pages 104-110 and Tables 1-4, structure Figures 5-7. Complete original with printed structure-factor tables.
    https://doi.org/10.2465/minerj1953.5.98 (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. watanabe1982: Watanabe T, Kato A, Ito J, Yoshimura T, Momoi H, Fukuda K (1982). Haradaite, Sr2V4+2[O2Si4O12], from the Noda-Tamagawa Mine, Iwate Prefecture and the Yamato Mine, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B 58(2):21-24. Localities and Figures 1-5; Table I powder data with a printed instruction to delete the 121 assignment; Yamato type-material chemistry and limitations page 24.
    https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.58.21 (accessed 2026-10-15)
  4. ito1965: Ito J (1965). Synthesis of vanadium silicates: haradaite, goldmanite and roscoelite. Mineralogical Journal 4(4):299-316. Full original; separate species-specific runs and characterization, not independent experiments for every citation of this paper.
    https://doi.org/10.2465/minerj1953.4.299 (accessed 2026-10-15)

Curation History

Timestamp Curator Action Summary
2026-10-15T18:26:20.122172Z codex (GPT-6; codex) CREATE Prepared evidence-backed mineral identity and qualified abiotic synthesis, preserving specimen substitutions, run-specific characterization, mixed and null products, and limits on valence, atmosphere and yield.

Record source: data/records/haradaite.yaml