earth science

Pascoite

Pascoite is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pascoite rather than just read about it. In short: Pascoite is a mineral with formula Ca3V10O28·17H2O that is red-orange to yellow in color. It was discovered in the Pasco Province of Peru, for which it is named, and described in 1914.

Key takeaways

Pascoite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pascoite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pascoite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pascoite is a mineral with formula Ca3V10O28·17H2O that is red-orange to yellow in color. It was discovered in the Pasco Province of Peru, for which it is named, and described in 1914.

Description

Crystals of pascoite, which occur in granular crusts, are minute and lath-like with oblique terminations. The mineral is dark red-orange to yellow-orange in color and dirty yellow when partially dehydrated. It occurs as efflorescences in mine tunnels or as a product leached out of surficial vanadium oxides by ground water. Pascoite has been found in association with carnotite. Pascoite melts readily to form a deep red liquid. Pascoite is a member of the eponymous pascoite group. The magnesium analogue of pascoite is magnesiopascoite.

Structure A 2005 study determined that pascoite has a C 2/m disordered crystal structure. It consists of decavanadate anions (V10O28)6− linked together by the interstitial complex {Ca3(H2O)17}6+.

Synthesis Pascoite can be easily synthesized by leaching oxides of calcium and vanadium with water to produce an orange-colored solution with an pH of about 4.6. Evaporation of the solution at room temperature produces orange-red crystals of the mineral. Dissolved pascoite can also be recrystallized from water.

History Pascoite was discovered in the Ragra mine near Cerro de Pasco, Peru, where the mineral formed on the walls of an exploratory tunnel after its excavation. The specimens were transported by D. Foster Hewett from Peru to the United States Geological Survey laboratory for analysis. Several years later, in 1914, pascoite was described in the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. It was named for the Pasco Province in which it was discovered.

Distribution Pascoite has been found in Argentina, the Czech Republic, Italy, Peru, the UK and the US. Several of the sites from which it has been reported are uranium mining districts. The type material is held in the United States at Harvard University in Massachusetts and the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

References Citations

Bibliography

External links Media related to Pascoite at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pascoite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pascoite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pascoite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pascoite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pascoite

In research: Pascoite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pascoite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pascoite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Calcium minerals, Hydrate minerals, Minerals described in 1914, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pascoite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Pascoite” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Pascoite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pascoite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pascoite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pascoite in simple terms?

Pascoite is a mineral with formula Ca3V10O28·17H2O that is red-orange to yellow in color. It was discovered in the Pasco Province of Peru, for which it is named, and described in 1914.

Why does Pascoite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pascoite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pascoite.