The Experience in Applying a Water Reservoir Operation Model Using Dynamic Volume Nomograms in Exercising Special-Purpose Spring Water Releases

Simulation models of river reservoir functioning in which dynamic volume nomograms are used to consider the non-horizontal nature of the reservoir water surface have not been so far applied due to the lack of accurate and fast-working computer realizations of such models. In 2015–2016, the authors of this paper developed such a program. In the periods of carrying out special-purpose spring water releases to the lower reaches of the Volga River in 2016 and in 2017, the developed model was used in a trial mode for a designing the reservoirs’ water regime. The results of water releases carried out under complicated hydrological and economic conditions proved the high performance of the model and confirmed the prospects of its application to solve the inverse problem.     

Belogubite,a New Mineral of the Chalcanthite Group from the Gaiskoe Deposit,South Urals,Russia

Geology of Ore Deposits - Belogubite CuZn(SO4)2 ⋅ 10H2O, a new mineral of the chalcanthite group, is found in the Gai (Gaiskoe) massive sulfide deposit, South Urals, Russia. This mineral...     

Deltalumite,a New Natural Modification of Alumina with a Spinel-Type Structure

Geology of Ore Deposits - A new mineral, deltalumite, which is an analogue of the spinel-type synthetic δ-Al2O3, the second natural modification of alumina after corundum, α-Al2O3, has...     

Classification of eudialyte-group minerals

According to the rules accepted by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, International Mineralogical Association, the definition of a new mineral species within the eudialyte group should be based on the general crystal chemical principle of the predominance of a new element at one or several key sites. To date, 25 minerals of the eudialyte group have been approved in line with this recommendation. Additionally, 50 samples (including potential new species of the eudialyte group) have been investigated using IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The new data require the modification and complementation of the current systematics of the eudialyte group. The eudialyte-type structures contain unique fragments that involve species-forming key sites. The crystal chemical classification that develops in this study is based on the hierarchical principle that takes into account the following features (listed in order of their lowering classification rank):

1. simple or modular character of the crystal structure and value of c parameter (about 30 and 60 Å for 12- and 24-layer minerals, respectively)
2. symmetry determined by cation ordering in the octahedral ring, i.e., the possibility of dividing site M(1) into M(1a) and M(1b)
3. the distribution of different components into five M(2) square-based sites
4. the water content (subdivision of the eudialyte-group minerals into low-and high-hydrous species with Na > (H₂O + H₃O) and Na < (H₂O + H₃O), respectively.

The 12-layer minerals are subdivided into eudialyte- and oneillite-type species. The further subdivision of these two types into subtypes is based on the predominance of octahedra, tetrahedra, or vacancies at sites M(3) and M(4) in the centers of nine-membered Si,O-rings and different combinations of these variants. Both type and subtype terms are used here in the crystal chemical sense. Among 24-layer minerals, the first subdivision is based on the degree of hydration; the second subdivision into subtypes takes into account combinations of predominant components (Zr + Zr, Ti + Ti, or Zr + Ti) in Z octahedra of different modules (floors). Various eudialyte-group minerals that belong to different crystal chemical taxons are briefly characterized.     

Murmanite and lomonosovite as Ag-selective ionites: kinetics and products of ion exchange in aqueous AgNO3 solutions

Products and kinetics of ion exchange of heterophyllosilicate minerals lomonosovite and murmanite with aqueous AgNO₃ solutions under low-temperature conditions have been studied using scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, ²³Na nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and dynamic calorimetry. Both minerals show strong affinity for silver in cation exchange. Simplified formulae of Ag-exchanged forms of murmanite and lomonosovite are (Ag_3.0Ca_0.5Na_0.5) (Ti,Nb,Mn,Fe)_3.7?4 (Si₂O₇)₂O₄·4(H₂O,OH) and (Ag_8.2Na_1.2Ca_0.3) (Ti,Nb,Mn,Fe)_3.9?4 (Si₂O₇)₂ (PO₄)_1.9O₄·xH₂O, respectively. The reaction of ion exchange for murmanite follows the first-order kinetic model up to ca. 70–80 % conversion. The rate of the process is described by the equation k(h^?1) = 10^7.64±0.60 exp[?(12.2 ± 0.9)·10³/RT]. The average heat release value in the temperature range 39.4–72 °C is 230 J g^?1. The cation exchange is limited by processes in solid state, most probably binding of silver.     

Kobyashevite, Cu5(SO4)2(OH)6·4H2O, a new devilline-group mineral from the Vishnevye Mountains, South Urals, Russia

A new mineral kobyashevite, Cu₅(SO₄)₂(OH)₆·4H₂O (IMA 2011–066), was found at the Kapital’naya mine, Vishnevye Mountains, South Urals, Russia. It is a supergene mineral that occurs in cavities of a calcite-quartz vein with pyrite and chalcopyrite. Kobyashevite forms elongated crystals up to 0.2 mm typically curved or split and combined into thin crusts up to 1?×?2 mm. Kobyashevite is bluish-green to turquoise-coloured. Lustre is vitreous. Mohs hardness is 2½. Cleavage is {010} distinct. D(calc.) is 3.16 g/cm³. Kobyashevite is optically biaxial (?), α 1.602(4), β 1.666(5), γ 1.679(5), 2 V(meas.) 50(10)°. The chemical composition (wt%, electron-microprobe data) is: CuO 57.72, ZnO 0.09, FeO 0.28, SO₃ 23.52, H₂O(calc.) 18.39, total 100.00. The empirical formula, calculated based on 18 O, is: Cu_4.96Fe_0.03Zn_0.01S_2.01O_8.04(OH)_5.96·4H₂O. Kobyashevite is triclinic, $ P\overline{\,1 } $ , a 6.0731(6), b 11.0597(13), c 5.5094(6)?Å, α 102.883(9)°, β 92.348(8)°, γ 92.597(9)°, V 359.87(7)?ų, Z?=?1. Strong reflections of the X-ray powder pattern [d,Å-I(hkl)] are: 10.84–100(010); 5.399–40(020); 5.178–12(110); 3.590–16(030); 2.691–16(20–1, 040, 002), 2.653–12(04–1, 02–2), 2.583–12(2–11, 201, 2–1–1), 2.425–12(03–2, 211, 131). The crystal structure (single-crystal X-ray data, R?=?0.0399) сontains [Cu₄(SO₄)₂(OH)₆] corrugated layers linked via isolated [CuO₂(H₂O)₄] octahedra; the structural formula is CuCu₄(SO₄)₂(OH)₆·4H₂O. Kobyashevite is a devilline-group member. It is named in memory of the Russian mineralogist Yuriy Stepanovich Kobyashev (1935–2009), a specialist on mineralogy of the Urals.     

Crystal structure of nitrate cancrinite synthesized under low-temperature hydrothermal conditions

Doklady Earth Sciences -     

Schüllerite, Ba2Na(Mn,Ca)(Fe3+,Mg,Fe2+)2Ti2(Si2O7)2(O,F)4, a new mineral species from the Eifel volcanic district, Germany

A new heterophyllosilicate mineral schüllerite was found in the L?hley basalt quarry in the Eifel volcanic region, Germany, as a member of the late mineral assemblage comprising nepheline, leucite, augite, phlogopite, magnetite, titanite, fresnoite, barytolamprophyllite, fluorapatite, perovskite, and pyrochlore. Flattened brown crystals of schüllerite up to 0.5 × 1 × 2 mm in size and their aggregates occur in miarolic cavities of alkali basalt. The mineral is brittle, with a Mohs hardness 3–4 and perfect cleavage parallel to (001). D _calc = 3.974 g/cm³. Its IR spectrum is individual and does not contain bands of OH⁻, CO₃²⁻ or H₂O. Schüllerite is biaxial (−), α = 1.756(3), β = 1.773(4), γ = 1.780(4), 2V _meas = 40(20)°. Dispersion is weak, r < ν. Pleochroism is medium X > Y > Z, brown to dark brown. Chemical composition (electron microprobe, mean of five-point analyses, Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ratio determined by the X-ray emission spectroscopic data, wt %): 3.55 Na₂O, 0.55 K₂O, 3.89 MgO, 2.62 CaO, 1.99 ArO, 28.09 BaO, 3.43 FeO, 8.89 Fe₂O₃, 1.33 Al₂O₃, 11.17 TiO₂, 2.45 Nb₂O₅, 26.12 SiO₂, 2.12 F, −0.89 -O=F₂, 98.98 in total. The empirical formula is (Ba_1.68Sr_0.18K_0.11Na_1.05Ca_0.43Mn_0.47Mg_0.88Fe_0.44²⁺Fe_1.02³⁺Ti_1.28Nb_0.17Al_0.24)_Σ7.95Si_3.98O_16.98F_1.02. The crystal structure was refined on a single crystal. Schüllerite is triclinic, space group P1, unit cell parameters: a = 5.4027(1), b = 7.066(4), c = 10.2178(1)?, α = 99.816(1), β = 99.624(1), γ = 90.084(1)°, V = 378.75(2) ?³, Z = 1. The strongest lines of the X-ray powder diffraction pattern [d, ?, (I, %)]: 9.96(29), 3.308(45), 3.203(29), 2.867(29), 2.791(100), 2.664(46), 2.609(36), 2.144(52). The mineral was named in honor of Willi Schüller (born 1953), an enthusiastic, prominent amateur mineral collector, and a specialist in the mineralogy of Eifel. Type specimens have been deposited at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, registration no. 3995/1,2.     

Ferrovalleriite, 2(Fe,Cu)S · 1.5Fe(OH)2: Validation as a mineral species and new data

Ferrovalleriite, ideally 2(Fe,Cu)S · 1.5Fe(OH)₂, a layered hydroxide-sulfide of the valleriite group and an analog of valleriite with Fe instead of Mg in the hydroxide block, has been approved by the IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification as a valid mineral species. It was found in the Oktyabr’sky Mine, Noril’sk, Krasnoyarsk krai, Siberia, Russia. Ferrovalleriite occurs in cavities of massive sulfide ore mainly consisting of cubanite and mooihoekite. In different cases, it is associated with magnetite, Fe-rich chlorite-like phyllosilicate, ferrotochilinite, hibbingite, or rhodochrosite. Ferrovalleriite forms crystals flattened on [001] (from scaly to tabular; up to 5 mm across and up to 0.3 mm thick), typically split and curved. Occasionally, they are combined into aggregates up to 1.5 × 2 cm. Ferrovalleriite is dark bronze-colored, with a metallic luster and black streak. The Mohs’ hardness is ca. 1; VHN is 35 kg/mm². Cleavage is perfect parallel to {001}, mica-like. Individuals are flexible and inelastic. D(calc) = 3.72 g/cm³. In reflected light, ferrovalleriite is pleochroic from yellowish to gray; bireflectance is moderate. Anisotropy is strong, with bluish gray to yellowish beige rotation colors. Reflectance values [R ₁–R ₂ %, (λ, nm)] are: 15.6–16.6 (470), 14.8–20.5 (546), 14.7–22.3 (589), 14.5–24.1 (650). The IR spectrum shows the presence of (OH) groups bonded with Fe cations and the absence of H2O molecules. The chemical composition of the holotype (wt %; electron microprobe, H content is calculated) is as follows: 0.10 Al, 0.03 Mn, 45.31 Fe, 0.07 Ni, 18.29 Cu, 20.37 S, 15.62 O, 0.98 H, total is 100.77. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 2 S atoms is: Al_0.01Fe_2.55Cu_0.91S₂(OH)_3.07 = (Fe_1.09Cu_0.91)_Σ2S₂ · (Fe _1.34 ²⁺ Fe _0.12 ³⁺ Al_0.01)_Σ1.47(OH)_3.07. The structure of ferrovalleriite is incommensurate (misfit); two sublattices are present: (1) sulfide sublattice, space group $R\bar 3m$ , R3m or R32; the unit-cell dimensions are: a = 3.792(2), c = 34.06(3) Å, V = 424(1) ų and (2) hydroxide sublattice, space group $P\bar 3m1$ , P3m1 or P321; the unit-cell dimensions: a = 3.202(3), c = 11.35(2)Å, V = 100.8(3) ų. Together with this main polytype modification with three-layer (R-cell, Z = 3) sulfide block, the holotype ferrovalleriite contains the modification with one-layer (P-cell, Z = 1) sulfide block (sulfide sublattice with $P\bar 3m1$ , P3m1 or P321, unit cell dimensions: a = 3.789(4), c = 11.35(1) Å, V = 141(5) ų). The strongest reflections in the X-ray powder pattern (d, Å-I) are: 5.69–100; 3.268–58; 3.163–36; 1.894–34; 1.871–45.     

Ferrotochilinite, 6FeS · 5Fe(OH)2, a new mineral from the Oktyabr’sky deposit, Noril’sk district, Siberia, Russia

A new mineral, ferrotochilinite, ideally 6FeS · 5Fe(OH)₂, was found at the Oktyabr’sky Mine, Oktyabr’skoe Cu-Ni deposit, Noril’sk, Krasnoyarsk krai, Siberia, Russia. It is associated with ferrovalleriite, magnetite and Fe-rich, chlorite-like phyllosilicate in the cavities of pentlandite-mooihoekite-cubanite ore with subordinate magnetite and chalcopyrite. Ferrotochilinite occurs as flattened on [001], prismatic to elongated lamellar crystals up to 0.1 × 0.5 × 3.2 mm, typically split and curved. Aggregates (up to 6.5 mm in size) are fanlike, rosette-like, or chaotic. Ferrotochilinite is dark bronze. The streak is black. The luster is moderately metallic. The Mohs’ hardness is ca. 1; VHN is 13 kg/mm². Cleavage is {001} perfect, micalike. Individuals are flexible, inelastic. D(calc) = 3.467 g/cm³. In reflected light, ferrotochilinite is gray, with the hue changing from pale beige to bluish; bireflectance is distinct. Anisotropy is distinct, with gray bluish to yellowish beige rotation colors. No internal reflections. Reflectance values [R _min-R _max, % (λ, nm)] are: 11.6–11.4 (470), 11.2–12.4 (546), 11.1–13.6 (589), 11.0–15.5 (650). The IR spectrum shows the presence of (OH) groups bonded with Fe cations and the absence of H₂O molecules. Chemical composition (wt %; electron probe; H content is calculated) is as follows: 0.02 Mg, 61.92 Fe, 0.03 Ni, 0.09 Cu, 19.45 S, 16.3 O, 1.03 H _calc; the total is 98.84. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 6 S atoms is: Mg_0.01Fe_10.96Ni_0.005Cu_0.015S₆(OH)_10.07 = (Fe_5.98Cu_0.0015Ni_0.005)_Σ6S₆(OH)_9.80(Fe _4.89 ²⁺ Mg_0.01)_Σ4.90(OH)_9.80Fe _0.09 ³⁺ (OH)_0.27. Ferrotochilinite is monoclinic, space group is C2/m, Cm or C2, the unit-cell dimensions are: a = 5.463(5), b = 15.865(17), c = 10.825(12) Å, β = 93.7(1)°, V = 936(3) ų, Z = 2. The strongest reflections in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern (d, Å-I[hkl]) are: 10.83-13[001], 5.392-100[002], 3.281-7[023], 2.777-7[150], 2.696-12[004, $20\bar 1$ ], 2.524-12[ $22\bar 1$ , $20\bar 2$ ], 2.152-8[134, 153], 1.837-11[135, $17\bar 3$ ]. Ferrotochilinite is a structural analog of tochilinite, with Fe²⁺ instead of Mg in the hydroxide part. The type specimen is deposited in Fersman Mineralogical Museum of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.