Calzirtite and the Mineralogy of Residual Soils from the Bukusu Carbonatite Complex, South-Eastern Uganda

J. W. Baldock
Institute of Geological Sciences, Ring Road, Halton, Leeds 15

Summary: Calzirtite, essentially CaTiZr3O9, has been identified in residual soils from the Bukusu carbonatite complex in Uganda. A satisfactory ultrasonic technique was developed for cleaning the samples prior to studying their mineralogy. Other heavy minerals present include ilmenite, perovskite, melanite, apatite, zircon, and baddeleyite. The properties and composition of calzirtite are compared with the available data from occurrences in the U.S.S.R. The mineral has a metasomatic paragenesis and probably indicates the presence of carbonatized rocks at depth.

Mineralogical Magazine; June 1968 v. 36; no. 282; p. 770-774; DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1968.036.282.03
© 1968, The Mineralogical Society
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