Oxyyttrobetafite–(Y), Y2Ti2O6O, a new mineral of the pyrochlore supergroup in a pegmatite from Souri Valley, Komono, Mie Prefecture Japan

Oxyyttrobetafite–(Y) is the first member in the betafite group of the pyrochlore supergroup found in albite–rich pegmatite from Souri Valley, Komono, Mie Prefecture, Japan. This new mineral occurs as small anhedral grains with sizes of 20 to 200 µm in cylinder–shaped aggregates with a substrate of thalénite–(Y) and synchysite–(Y). Small amounts of aeschynite–(Y), thorianite, and thorite are also associated in the same occurrence with oxyyttrobetafite–(Y), and gadolinite–(Y) is also included at the boundary between the aggregate and albite. The physical properties are: brown in color, brittle, transparent, non–fluorescent, vitreous luster, white streak with a Mohs hardness of 5, and a calculated density of 5.54 g·cm−3. Oxyyttrobetafite–(Y) is an optically isometric material with brown color under the microscope with a refractive index of n = 2.3 calculated using the Gladstone–Dale relationship. The empirical formula of oxyyttrobetafite–(Y) calculated on the basis of B = 2 with A2B2X6Y composition is (Y1.58Dy0.13Yb0.07Er0.06Tm0.05Gd0.04Ho0.03Sm0.02Tb0.02Eu0.01Lu0.01)Σ2.02 (Ti1.85Ta0.09Fe0.05Sn0.02Nb 2σ (I ). Oxyyttrobetafite–(Y) is characterized by Y dominance at the A sites, Ti dominance at the B sites, and O dominance at the X and Y sites in the A2B2X6Y pyrochlore–type formula.