Lazurite: Validation as a Mineral Species with the Formula Na7Ca(Al6Si6O24)(SO4) $${\text{S}}_{3}^{{\bullet - }}$$ ⋅H2O and New Data

Geology of Ore Deposits - The status of lazurite as a valid mineral species has been confirmed. The neotype specimen from the Malaya Bystraya gem lazurite deposit, Baikal Lake area has been studied...     

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...     

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.     

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.     

Nickelpicromerite,K<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ni(SO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>•6H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O,a new picromerite-group mineral from Slyudorudnik,South Urals,Russia

A new picromerite-group mineral, nickelpicromerite, K₂Ni(SO₄)₂?·?6H₂O (IMA 2012–053), was found at the Vein #169 of the Ufaley quartz deposit, near the town of Slyudorudnik, Kyshtym District, Chelyabinsk area, South Urals, Russia. It is a supergene mineral that occurs, with gypsum and goethite, in the fractures of slightly weathered actinolite-talc schist containing partially vermiculitized biotite and partially altered sulfides: pyrrhotite, pentlandite, millerite, pyrite and marcasite. Nickelpicromerite forms equant to short prismatic or tabular crystals up to 0.07 mm in size and anhedral grains up to 0.5 mm across, their clusters or crusts up to 1 mm. Nickelpicromerite is light greenish blue. Lustre is vitreous. Mohs hardness is 2–2½. Cleavage is distinct, parallel to {10–2}. D _meas is 2.20(2), D _calc is 2.22 g cm^?3. Nickelpicromerite is optically biaxial (+), α?=?1.486(2), β?=?1.489(2), γ?=?1.494(2), 2V_meas =75(10)°, 2V_calc =76°. The chemical composition (wt.%, electron-microprobe data) is: K₂O 20.93, MgO 0.38, FeO 0.07, NiO 16.76, SO₃ 37.20, H₂O (calc.) 24.66, total 100.00. The empirical formula, calculated based on 14 O, is: K_1.93Mg_0.04Ni_0.98S_2.02O_8.05(H₂O)_5.95. Nickelpicromerite is monoclinic, P2₁/c, a?=?6.1310(7), b?=?12.1863(14), c?=?9.0076(10) Å, β?=?105.045(2)°, V?=?649.9(1) ų, Z?=?2. Eight strongest reflections of the powder XRD pattern are [d,Å-I(hkl)]: 5.386–34(110); 4.312–46(002); 4.240–33(120); 4.085–100(012, 10–2); 3.685–85(031), 3.041–45(040, 112), 2.808–31(013, 20–2, 122), 2.368–34(13–3, 21–3, 033). Nickelpicromerite (single-crystal X-ray data, R?=?0.028) is isostructural to other picromerite-group minerals and synthetic Tutton’s salts. Its crystal structure consists of [Ni(H₂O)₆]²⁺ octahedra linked to (SO₄)^2? tetrahedra via hydrogen bonds. K⁺ cations are coordinated by eight anions. Nickelpicromerite is the product of alteration of primary sulfide minerals and the reaction of the acid Ni-sulfate solutions with biotite.     

Vigrishinite, Zn2Ti4 − x Si4O14(OH,H2O,□)8, a new mineral from the Lovozero alkaline complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia

A new mineral vigrishinite, epistolite-group member and first layer titanosilicate with species-defining Zn, was found at Mt. Malyi Punkaruaiv, in the Lovozero alkaline complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia. It occurs in a hydrothermally altered peralkaline pegmatite and is associated with microcline, ussingite, aegirine, analcime, gmelinite-Na, and chabazite-Ca. Vigrishinite forms rectangular or irregularly shaped lamellae up to 0.05 × 2 × 3 cm flattened on [001]. They are typically slightly split and show blocky character. The mineral is translucent to transparent and pale pink, yellowish-pinkish or colorless. The luster is vitreous. The Mohs’ hardness is 2.5–3. Vigrishinite is brittle. Cleavage is {001} perfect. D _meas = 3.03(2), D _calc = 2.97 g/cm³. The mineral is optically biaxial (?), α = 1.755(5), β = 1.82(1), γ = 1.835(8), 2V _meas = 45(10)°, 2V _calc = 50°. IR spectrum is given. The chemical composition (wt %; average of 9 point analyses, H₂O is determined by modified Penfield method) is as follows: 0.98 Na₂O, 0.30 K₂O, 0.56 CaO, 0.05 SrO, 0.44 BaO, 0.36 MgO, 2.09 MnO, 14.39 ZnO, 2.00 Fe₂O₃, 0.36 Al₂O₃, 32.29 SiO₂, 29.14 TiO₂, 2.08 ZrO₂, 7.34 Nb₂O₅, 0.46 F, 9.1 H₂O, ?0.19 O=F₂, total is 101.75. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of Si + Al = 4 is: H_7.42(Zn_1.30Na_0.23Mn_0.22Ca_0.07Mg_0.07K_0.05Ba_0.02)_Σ1.96(Ti_2.68Nb_0.41Fe _0.18 ³⁺ Zr_0.12)_Σ3.39(Si_3.95Al_0.05)_{Σ4 20.31}F_0.18. The simplified formula is: Zn₂Ti_4?x Si₄O₁₄(OH,H₂O,□)₈ (x < 1). Vigrishinite is triclinic, space group P $\bar 1$ , a = 8.743(9), b = 8.698(9), c = 11.581(11)Å, α = 91.54(8)°, β = 98.29(8)°, γ = 105.65(8)°, V = 837.2(1.5) ų, Z = 2. The strongest reflections in the X-ray powder pattern (d, Å, ?I[hkl]) are: 11.7-67[001], 8.27-50[100], 6.94-43[0 $\bar 1$ 1, $\bar 1$ 10], 5.73–54[1 $\bar 1$ 1, 002], 4.17-65[020, $\bar 1$ $\bar 1$ 2, 200], and 2.861-100[3 $\bar 1$ 0, 2 $\bar 2$ 2, 004, 1 $\bar 3$ 1]. The crystal structure model was obtained on a single crystal, R = 0.171. Vigrishinite and murmanite are close in the structure of the TiSiO motif, but strongly differ from each other in part of large cations and H-bearing groups. Vigrishinite is named in honor of Viktor G. Grishin (b. 1953), a Russian amateur mineralogist and mineral collector, to pay tribute to his contribution to the mineralogy of the Lovozero Complex. The type specimen is deposited in the Fersman Mineralogical Museum of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.     

Günterblassite, (K,Ca)3 − x Fe[(Si,Al)13O25(OH,O)4] · 7H2O, a new mineral: the first phyllosilicate with triple tetrahedral layer

A new mineral, günterblassite, has been found in the basaltic quarry at Mount Rother Kopf near Gerolstein, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany as a constituent of the late assemblage of nepheline, leucite, augite, phlogopite, åkermanite, magnetite, perovskite, a lamprophyllite-group mineral, götzenite, chabazite-K, chabazite-Ca, phillipsite-K, and calcite. Günterblassite occurs as colorless lamellar crystals up to 0.2 × 1 × 1.5 mm in size and their clusters. The mineral is brittle, with perfect cleavage parallel to (001) and less perfect cleavage parallel to (100) and (010). The Mohs hardness is 4. The calculated and measured density is 2.17 and 2.18(1) g/cm³, respectively. The IR spectrum is given. The new mineral is optically biaxial and positive as follows: α = 1.488(2), β = 1.490(2), γ = 1.493(2), 2V _meas = 80(5)°. The chemical composition (electron microprobe, average of seven point analyses, H₂O is determined by gas chromatography, wt %) is as follows: 0.40 Na₂O, 5.18 K₂O, 0.58 MgO, 3.58 CaO, 4.08 BaO, 3.06 FeO, 13.98 Al₂O₃, 52.94 SiO₂, 15.2 H₂O, and the total is 98.99. The empirical formula is Na_0.15K_1.24Ba_0.30Ca_0.72Mg_0.16F _0.48 ²⁺ [Si_9.91Al_3.09O_25.25(OH)_3.75] · 7.29H₂O. The crystal structure has been determined from a single crystal, R = 0.049. Günterblassite is orthorhombic, space group Pnm2₁; the unit-cell dimensions are a = 6.528(1), b = 6.970(1), c = 37.216(5) Å, V = 1693.3(4) ų, Z = 2. Günterblassite is a member of a new structural type; its structure is based on three-layer block [Si₁₃O₂₅(OH,O)₄]. The strong reflections in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern [d Å (I, %) are as follows: 6.532 (100), 6.263 (67), 3.244 (49), 3.062 (91), 2.996 (66), 2.955 (63), and 2.763 (60). The mineral was named in honor of Günter Blass (born in 1943), a well-known amateur mineralogist and specialist in electron microprobe and X-ray diffraction. The type specimen of günterblassite is deposited in the collections of the Fersman Mineralogical Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, with the registration number 4107/1.     

Dachiardite-K, (K<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ca)(Al<Subscript>4</Subscript>Si<Subscript>20</Subscript>O<Subscript>48</Subscript>) · 13H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O,a new zeolite from Eastern Rhodopes,Bulgaria

Dachiardite-K (IMA No. 2015-041), a new zeolite, is a K-dominant member of the dachiardite series with the idealized formula (К₂Са)(Al₄Si₂₀O₄₈) · 13H₂О. It occurs in the walls of opal–chalcedony veinlets cutting hydrothermally altered effusive rocks of the Zvezdel paleovolcanic complex near the village of Austa, Momchilgrad Municipality, Eastern Rhodopes, Bulgaria. Chalcedony, opal, dachiardite-Ca, dachiardite-Na, ferrierite-Mg, ferrierite-K, clinoptilolite-Ca, clinoptilolite-K, mordenite, smectite, celadonite, calcite, and barite are associated minerals. The mineral forms radiated aggregates up to 8 mm in diameter consisting of split acicular individuals. Dachiardite-K is white to colorless. Perfect cleavage is observed on (100). D _meas = 2.18(2), D _calc = 2.169 g/cm³. The IR spectrum is given. Dachiardite-K is biaxial (+), α = 1.477 (calc), β = 1.478(2), γ = 1.481(2), 2V _meas = 65(10)°. The chemical composition (electron microprobe, mean of six point analyses, H₂O determined by gravimetric method) is as follows, wt %: 4.51 K₂O, 3.27 CaO, 0.41 BaO, 10.36 A1₂O₃, 67.90 SiO₂, 13.2 H₂O, total is 99.65. The empirical formula is H_26.23K_1.71Ca_1.04Ba_0.05Al_3.64Si_20.24O₆₁. The strongest reflections in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern [d, Å (I, %) (hkl)] are: 9.76 (24) (001), 8.85 (58) (200), 4.870 (59) (002), 3.807 (16) (202), 3.768 (20) (112, 020), 3.457 (100) (220), 2.966 (17) (602). Dachiardite-K is monoclinic, space gr. C2/m, Cm or C2; the unit cell parameters refined from the powder X-ray diffraction data are: a = 18.670(8), b = 7.511(3), c = 10.231(4) Å, β = 107.79(3)°, V= 1366(1) ų, Z = 1. The type specimen has been deposited in the Earth and Man National Museum, Sofia, Bulgaria, with the registration number 23927.