Vandenbrandeite
Vandenbrandeite is a mineral named after a Belgian geologist, Pierre Van den Brande, who discovered an ore deposit. It was named in 1932, and has been a valid mineral ever since then.
Properties
Vandenbrandeite grows in microcrystals, up to half a millimeter. It may be rounded or lathlike. The crystals are flattened on. It grows in parallel aggregates, in a lamellar, scaly shape. It is tabular, meaning its dimensions in one direction are weak. It is a pleochroic mineral. Depending on the axis the mineral is seen, the color of it changes, which is an optical phenomenon. It appears blue-green on the x-axis and yellow-green on the z-axis. It is highly stable in the presence of both water and hydrogen peroxide. Vandenbrandeite, due to being strongly radioactive, is usually closely associated with other radioactive minerals. Its radioactive properties are due to its composition. The mineral is made out of 59.27% uranium, which is the main component of the mineral. It has a GRapi of 4,352,567.33. It has a concentration of 229.75 measured in GRapi. Other chemical elements included in vandenbrandeite are oxygen, copper and hydrogen. Although it is radioactive, the mineral is not fluorescent. It is a secondary mineral.