Mineralpedia Details for Kampfite

Named for Dr. Robert Anthony Kampf of the Los Angeles County museum of Natural History in California, USA, for his contributions to the study of minerals. Found only at the Esquire No.1, the type locality, and Esquire No.7 claims near Big Creek-Rush Creek in California, USA. It occurs there as a rock forming mineral in a quartz-sanbornite gneiss where it forms as light blue-gray, irregular, cleavable masses.

Ref. Minerals and their Localities, Bernard, J.H. and Hyršl, J. (2004)

IMA/CNMNC List of Mineral Names (2009) and Canadian Mineralogist 45 (2007), 935

Formula

Ba₁₂(Si₁₁Al₅)O₃₁(CO₃)₈Cl₅ 

Crystal System

Monoclinic 

Crystal Habit

Irregular Grains 

Cleavage

Good, None, None 

Luster

Vitreous (Glassy) 

Color

light blue gray 

Streak

white 

Class

Monoclinic - Domatic 

Fracture

Brittle - Uneven 

Hardness

3 

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Obscure blue grains to 1mm of this rare barium silicate carbonate in sanbornite bearing matrix from Rush Creek. Kampfite was first published by L. Basciano in 2001 in the Canadian Mineralogist. Dr. Anthony Kampf recieved his his PhD from the University of Chicago and studied under Dr. Paul Moore. Tony is the curator and head of the mineraolgy department for the Natural History Museum of LA County. He is expert at crystal structure and has authored at least 19 new minerals including six from the Grand Reef mine. Incredibly Tony still finds time to serve on the board of several major journals including the MR, Gems and Gemology and Rocks and Minerals as well as a one time associate editor of American Mineralogist.