Cavansite in apophyllite from Wagholi, Poona, Maharashtra, India

Cavansite is a deep blue hydrous calcium vanadium phyllosilicate mineral with formula: Ca(VO)Si₄O₁₀·4(H₂O). It forms vitreous to pearly translucent orthorhombic crystals which may be acicular in radiating clusters. It has a Mohs hardness of 3 - 4 and a specific gravity of 2.33. Cavansite occurs as a secondary mineral in basaltic rocks along with a variety of zeolite minerals. Occurances include Poona, India; Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; North Island, New Zealand; and Columbia and Malheur County, Oregon, USA. General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 40. ... General Name, Symbol, Number vanadium, V, 23 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 5, 4, d Appearance silvery gray metallic Atomic mass 50. ... The silicate minerals make up the the largest and most important class of rock-forming minerals. ... In crystallography, the orthorhombic crystal system is one of the 7 lattice point groups. ... Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer. ... Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ... Basalt Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock, sometimes porphyritic, and is often both fine-grained and dense. ... Zeolite Zeolites (Greek, zein,to boil;lithos,a stone) are minerals that have a porous structure. ... Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil. ... Malheur County is a county located in the southeast corner of the state of Oregon. ...

It was discovered in 1967 in Malheur Co., Oregon and named for its calcium vanadium silicate composition.

References

• Mindat
• Webmineral
• Mineral galleries