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microlite
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microlite

mineral
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Microlite is a complex oxide mineral with the chemical formula [(Na,Ca)2Ta2O6(O,OH,F)]. It is composed primarily of tantalum, sodium, and calcium, and it forms brown to black, glassy octahedral crystals and irregular masses.1

Microlite is isomorphous with pyrochlore, meaning it shares a similar crystal structure. In fact, microlite forms a solid-solution series with pyrochlore, where tantalum atoms replace niobium atoms in the chemical structure. Microlite is found in the albitized zones of granite pegmatites. A second definition of microlite refers to a minute crystal, visible only under a microscope.12

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  1. pyrochlore
  2. microlite

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