Tyuyamunite


Tyuyamunite is a very rare uranium mineral with formula Ca2V2O8·H2O. It is a member of the carnotite group. It is a bright, canary-yellow color because of its high uranium content. Also, because of tyuyamunite's high uranium content, it is radioactive. It was named by Konstantin Avtonomovich Nenadkevich, in 1912, after its type [locality (geology)|type locality], Tyuya-Muyun, Fergana Valley, Kyrgyzstan.

Formation and transformation

Tyuyamunite is formed by the weathering of uraninite, a uranium-bearing mineral. Tyuyamunite, being a hydrous mineral, contains water. Yet when it is exposed to the atmosphere it loses its water. This process changes tyuyamunite into a different mineral known as metatyuyamunite Ca22·3-5H2O.