Articles | Volume 34, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-523-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-523-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
01 Nov 2022
Research article |
| 01 Nov 2022
TotBlocks: exploring the relationships between modular rock-forming minerals with 3D-printed interlocking brick modules
School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United
Kingdom
Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury,
Ontario, Canada
Paige E. dePolo
School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United
Kingdom
Related authors
Derek D. V. Leung and Paige E. dePolo
Geosci. Commun., 6, 125–129, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-6-125-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-6-125-2023, 2023
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We used 3D-printed building blocks (TotBlocks) in an undergraduate optical mineralogy lab session to illustrate the links between crystal structures and the properties of minerals. Students built mica, pyroxene, and amphibole structures. We observed an improved understanding of cleavage (how minerals break) and pleochroism (how light interacts with minerals), but understanding did not improve with more abstract concepts. TotBlocks hold potential as a teaching tool in mineralogy classrooms.
Derek D. V. Leung and Paige E. dePolo
Geosci. Commun., 6, 125–129, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-6-125-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-6-125-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We used 3D-printed building blocks (TotBlocks) in an undergraduate optical mineralogy lab session to illustrate the links between crystal structures and the properties of minerals. Students built mica, pyroxene, and amphibole structures. We observed an improved understanding of cleavage (how minerals break) and pleochroism (how light interacts with minerals), but understanding did not improve with more abstract concepts. TotBlocks hold potential as a teaching tool in mineralogy classrooms.
Related subject area
New minerals and systematic mineralogy
Regerite, KFe6(PO4)4(OH)7(H2O)6 ⋅ 4H2O, the first new mineral species from the Kreuzberg pegmatite, Pleystein, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany
Batoniite, [Al8(OH)14(H2O)18](SO4)5 ⋅ 5H2O, a new mineral with the [Al8(OH)14(H2O)18]10+ polyoxocation from the Cetine di Cotorniano Mine, Tuscany, Italy
Hochleitnerite, [K(H2O)]Mn2(Ti2Fe)(PO4)4O2(H2O)10 ⋅ 4H2O, a new paulkerrite-group mineral, from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany
Nomenclature of the triphylite group of minerals
Pseudo-cubic trigonal pyrite from the Madan Pb–Zn ore field (Rhodope Massif, Bulgaria): morphology and twinning
Manganrockbridgeite, Mn2+2Fe3+3(PO4)3(OH)4(H2O), a new member of the rockbridgeite group, from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Oberpfalz, Bavaria
Pleysteinite, [(H2O)0.5K0.5]2Mn2Al3(PO4)4F2(H2O)10 ⋅ 4H2O, the Al analogue of benyacarite, from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany
Mckelveyite group minerals – Part 1: Nomenclature and new data on donnayite-(Y)
Mckelveyite group minerals – Part 2: Alicewilsonite-(YCe), Na2Sr2YCe(CO3)6 ⋅ 3H2O, a new species
Whiteite-(CaMnFe), a new jahnsite-group mineral from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Oberpfalz, Bavaria
Dutrowite, Na(Fe2+2.5Ti0.5)Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3O, a new mineral from the Apuan Alps (Tuscany, Italy): the first member of the tourmaline supergroup with Ti as a species-forming chemical constituent
Corresponding relationship between characteristic birefringence, strain, and impurities in Zimbabwean mixed-habit diamonds revealed by mapping techniques
Ferri-taramite, a new member of the amphibole supergroup, from the Jakobsberg Mn–Fe deposit, Värmland, Sweden
Ferro-ferri-holmquistite, □Li2(Fe2+3Fe3+2)Si8O22(OH)2, Fe2+Fe3+ analogue of holmquistite, from the Iwagi islet, Ehime, Japan
Tomsquarryite, NaMgAl3(PO4)2(OH)6 ● 8H2O, a new crandallite-derivative mineral from Tom's phosphate quarry, Kapunda, South Australia
Graulichite-(La), LaFe3+3(AsO4)2(OH)6, a new addition to the alunite supergroup from the Patte d'Oie mine, Bou Skour mining district, Morocco
Arrojadite-group nomenclature: sigismundite reinstated
Redefinition of beraunite, Fe3+6(PO4)4O(OH)4 ⋅ 6H2O, and discreditation of the name eleonorite: a re-investigation of type material from the Hrbek Mine (Czech Republic)
Redefinition of angastonite, CaMgAl2(PO4)2(OH)4 ⋅ 7H2O, as an amorphous mineral
Liguowuite, WO3, a new member of the A-site vacant perovskite type minerals from the Panzhihua–Xichang region, China
Zinkgruvanite, Ba4Mn2+4Fe3+2(Si2O7)2(SO4)2O2(OH)2, a new ericssonite-group mineral from the Zinkgruvan Zn-Pb-Ag-Cu deposit, Askersund, Örebro County, Sweden
Kahlenbergite KAl11O17, a new β-alumina mineral and Fe-rich hibonite from the Hatrurim Basin, the Negev desert, Israel
Occurrence of silesiaite, a new calcium–iron–tin sorosilicate in the calcic skarn of El Valle-Boinás, Asturias, Spain
Grimmite, NiCo2S4, a new thiospinel from Příbram, Czech Republic
Freitalite, C14H10, a new aromatic hydrocarbon mineral from Freital, Saxony, Germany
Gobelinite, the Co analogue of ktenasite from Cap Garonne, France, and Eisenzecher Zug, Germany
Two new minerals, badengzhuite, TiP, and zhiqinite, TiSi2, from the Cr-11 chromitite orebody, Luobusa ophiolite, Tibet, China: is this evidence for super-reduced mantle-derived fluids?
Wumuite (KAl0.33W2.67O9) – a new mineral with an HTB-type structure from the Panzhihua–Xichang region in China
Luxembourgite, AgCuPbBi4Se8, a new mineral species from Bivels, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Niasite and johanngeorgenstadtite, Ni2+4.5(AsO4)3 dimorphs from Johanngeorgenstadt, Germany
Laurentthomasite, Mg2K(Be2Al)Si12O30: a new milarite-group-type member from the Ihorombe region, Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar
Tancaite-(Ce), ideally FeCe(MoO4)3 ● 3H2O: description and average crystal structure
Heliophyllite: a discredited mineral species identical to ecdemite
New IMA CNMNC guidelines on combustion products from burning coal dumps
Crystal chemistry of fluorcarletonite, a new mineral from the Murun alkaline complex (Russia)
Halilsarpite, a new arsenate analogue of walentaite, from the Oumlil mine, Bou Azzer district, Morocco
Christian Rewitzer, Rupert Hochleitner, Ian E. Grey, Anthony R. Kampf, Stephanie Boer, and Colin M. MacRae
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 805–812, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-805-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-805-2023, 2023
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Regerite is the first new mineral species to be described from the Kreuzberg pegmatite, Pleystein, in the Oberpfalz, Bavaria. It has been characterised using electron microprobe analysis, Raman spectroscopy, optical measurements and a synchrotron-based single-crystal structure refinement. The structure type for regerite has not been previously reported.
Daniela Mauro, Cristian Biagioni, Jiří Sejkora, Zdeněk Dolníček, and Radek Škoda
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 703–714, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-703-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-703-2023, 2023
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Batoniite is a new mineral species belonging to the Al2O3–SO3–H2O ternary system, first found in the Cetine di Cotorniano Mine (Tuscany, Italy). This hydrated Al sulfate shows a novel crystal structure, characterized by Al octamers, so far reported in only synthetic compounds.
Ian E. Grey, Erich Keck, Anthony R. Kampf, Colin M. MacRae, Robert W. Gable, William G. Mumme, Nicholas C. Wilson, Alexander M. Glenn, and Cameron Davidson
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 635–643, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-635-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-635-2023, 2023
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Hochleitnerite is a new member of the paulkerrite group of minerals. Its crystal structure, chemical analyses and Raman spectroscopy are reported, and its crystallochemical properties are discussed in relation to other group members.
Lyudmila M. Lyalina, Ekaterina A. Selivanova, and Frédéric Hatert
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 427–437, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-427-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-427-2023, 2023
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There are unresolved problems related to the nomenclature and identification of mineral species belonging to the triphylite group of minerals. They can be solved by discarding the traditional views on succession of mineral species during oxidation. In other words, it is necessary to separate the concepts of the origin of the mineral and the boundaries of the species.
Yves Moëlo
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 333–346, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-333-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-333-2023, 2023
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Pyrite crystals with rhombohedral morphology have been known for a long time and were considered up to now as curiosities. The morphological study of well-crystallized, centimeter-sized crystals, often twinned, from the Madan Pb–Zn ore field permitted us to define such a pyrite variety as a pseudo-cubic trigonal derivative of pyrite.
Ian E. Grey, Rupert Hochleitner, Anthony R. Kampf, Stephanie Boer, Colin M. MacRae, John D. Cashion, Christian Rewitzer, and William G. Mumme
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 295–304, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-295-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-295-2023, 2023
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Manganrockbridgeite, Mn2+2Fe3+3(PO4)3(OH)4(H2O), a new member of the rockbridgeite group, has been characterised using electron microprobe analyses, Mössbauer spectroscopy, optical properties and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Whereas other rockbridgeite-group minerals have orthorhombic symmetry with a statistical distribution of 50%Fe3+/50% vacancies in M3-site octahedra, monoclinic manganrockbridgeite has full ordering of Fe3+ and vacancies in alternate M3 sites along the 5.2 Å axis.
Ian E. Grey, Rupert Hochleitner, Christian Rewitzer, Anthony R. Kampf, Colin M. MacRae, Robert W. Gable, William G. Mumme, Erich Keck, and Cameron Davidson
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 189–197, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-189-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-189-2023, 2023
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Pleysteinite has been approved as a new mineral species, and we describe here the characterisation of the mineral and its relationship to related minerals benyacarite, paulkerrite and mantienneite. The characterisation includes the determination and refinement of the crystal structure, electron microprobe analyses, optical properties and interpretation of its Raman spectrum.
Inna Lykova, Ralph Rowe, Glenn Poirier, Gerald Giester, Kelsie Ojaste, and Henrik Friis
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 133–142, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-133-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-133-2023, 2023
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A new mineral group – the mckelveyite group – consisting of seven carbonate minerals was established. One of the seven members, donnayite-(Y), was re-investigated and its belonging to the mckelveyite group was confirmed.
Inna Lykova, Ralph Rowe, Glenn Poirier, Henrik Friis, and Kate Helwig
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 143–155, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-143-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-143-2023, 2023
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Alicewilsonite-(YCe), a new mckelveyite group, was found at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada, and subsequently at the Saint-Amable sill, Quebec, Canada, and the Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia.
Rupert Hochleitner, Christian Rewitzer, Ian E. Grey, William G. Mumme, Colin M. MacRae, Anthony R. Kampf, Erich Keck, Robert W. Gable, and Alexander M. Glenn
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 95–103, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-95-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-95-2023, 2023
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The paper gives a characterisation of the new mineral species, whiteite-(CaMnFe), which has recently been approved as a new mineral (proposal IMA2022-077). The study included a single-crystal structure refinement that, when combined with electron microprobe analyses, confirmed that the mineral was a new member of the whiteite subgroup of the jahnsite group of minerals. Relationships between the crystal structure and the unit-cell parameters for the whiteite-subgroup minerals are discussed.
Cristian Biagioni, Ferdinando Bosi, Daniela Mauro, Henrik Skogby, Andrea Dini, and Federica Zaccarini
Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 81–94, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-81-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-35-81-2023, 2023
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Dutrowite is the first tourmaline supergroup minerals having Ti as a species-defining chemical constituent. Its finding improves our knowledge on the crystal chemistry of this important mineral group and allows us to achieve a better picture of the mechanisms favouring the incorporation of Ti.
Chengyang Sun, Taijin Lu, Mingyue He, Zhonghua Song, and Yi Deng
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 539–547, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-539-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-539-2022, 2022
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It was determined that growth bands showing the straight birefringence in octahedral sectors and the enrichment of graphite inclusions in cuboid sectors of Zimbabwean mixed-habit diamonds may both be due to the fluctuation of temperature during crystallization, and they displayed positive anomalies of plastic deformation, residual stress, nitrogen concentration, and VN3H defects. This conclusion clearly revealed the correlation between birefringence and spectroscopic properties of diamonds.
Dan Holtstam, Fernando Cámara, Andreas Karlsson, Henrik Skogby, and Thomas Zack
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 451–462, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-451-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-451-2022, 2022
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A new mineral has been discovered, an amphibole, with the name ferri-taramite, which has now been approved by the International Mineralogical Association. The paper discusses the significance of the discovery in relation to other amphiboles found worldwide. This taramite is unique in that it is from a skarn associated with ore and is not of magmatic origin. For the description we have used many methods, including X-ray diffraction, chemical analyses and several types of spectroscopy.
Mariko Nagashima, Teruyoshi Imaoka, Takashi Kano, Jun-ichi Kimura, Qing Chang, and Takashi Matsumoto
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 425–438, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-425-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-425-2022, 2022
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Ferro-ferri-holmquistite (IMA2022-020), ideal formula ☐Li2(Fe32+Fe23+)Si8O22(OH)2, was found in albitized granite from the Iwagi islet, Ehime, Japan. It is a Fe2+Fe3+ analogue of holmquistite and belongs to the lithium subgroup amphiboles. Ferro-ferri-holmquistite occurs as blue acicular crystals typically replacing the biotite and is the product of metasomatic mineral replacement reactions by dissolution–reprecipitation processes associated with Na- and Li-rich hydrothermal fluids.
Peter Elliott, Ian E. Grey, William G. Mumme, Colin M. MacRae, and Anthony R. Kampf
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 375–383, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-375-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-375-2022, 2022
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This paper describes the characterisation of a new mineral from a South Australian phosphate quarry. The characterisation included chemical analyses, infrared spectroscopy, and a determination and refinement of the crystal structure. The results showed that the mineral has a unique crystal chemistry, but it is closely related to the well-known phosphate mineral crandallite.
Cristian Biagioni, Marco E. Ciriotti, Georges Favreau, Daniela Mauro, and Federica Zaccarini
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 365–374, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-365-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-365-2022, 2022
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The paper reports the type description of the new mineral species graulichite-(La). This is a new addition to the dussertite group within the alunite supergroup, and its discovery improves our knowledge on the crystal chemistry of this important supergroup of minerals, having both technological and environmental applications.
Frank de Wit and Stuart J. Mills
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 321–324, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-321-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-321-2022, 2022
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The name sigismundite has been reinstated for what was previously arrojadite-(BaFe). Sigismundite honours Pietro Sigismund (1874–1962), and this paper outlines his significant contributions to Italian mineralogy.
Luboš Vrtiška, Jaromír Tvrdý, Jakub Plášil, Jiří Sejkora, Radek Škoda, Nikita V. Chukanov, Andreas Massanek, Jan Filip, Zdeněk Dolníček, and František Veselovský
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 223–238, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-223-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-223-2022, 2022
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The study of the original material of beraunite from the type locality Hrbek, Czech Rep., from collections of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany) and National Museum Prague (Czech Republic) proved the identity of the minerals beraunite and eleonorite. Because the name beraunite has priority, we consider the name eleonorite to be redundant and proposed to abolish it. The proposal 21-D approved by the IMA discredited eleonorite and accepted the formula of beraunite Fe3+6(PO4)4O(OH)4·6H2O.
Ian Edward Grey, Peter Elliott, William Gus Mumme, Colin M. MacRae, Anthony R. Kampf, and Stuart J. Mills
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 215–221, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-215-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-215-2022, 2022
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A reinvestigation of angastonite from the type locality has shown that it is a mixture of crystalline phases and an amorphous phase, with the published formula corresponding to the amorphous phase. A redefinition proposal for angastonite as an amorphous mineral was approved by the IMA CNMNC. Our study showed how the amorphous phase formed and how it progressively recrystallises as new crandallite-related minerals.
Yuan Xue, Ningyue Sun, Hongping He, Aiqing Chen, and Yiping Yang
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 95–108, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-95-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-95-2022, 2022
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Liguowuite, a new member of the non-stoichiometric perovskite group minerals, ideally WO3, has been found in the Panzhihua–Xichang region, China. Liguowuite is monoclinic and is in space group P21 / n, with a = 7.32582(18) Å, b = 7.54767(18) Å, c = 7.71128(18) Å, β = 90.678(3)°, V = 426.348(19) Å3, and Z = 8. According to the hierarchical scheme for perovskite supergroup minerals, liguowuite is the first reported example of A-site vacant single oxide, i.e., a new perovskite subgroup.
Fernando Cámara, Dan Holtstam, Nils Jansson, Erik Jonsson, Andreas Karlsson, Jörgen Langhof, Jaroslaw Majka, and Anders Zetterqvist
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 659–673, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-659-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-659-2021, 2021
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Zinkgruvanite, a barium manganese iron silicate with sulfate, is a new mineral found in drill core samples from the Zinkgruvan zinc, lead and silver mine in Sweden. It is associated with other minerals like baryte, barytocalcite, diopside and sulfide minerals. It occurs as flattened and elongated crystals up to 1 mm. It is almost black. Zinkgruvanite is closely related to the mineral yoshimuraite and based on its crystal structure, grouped with the ericssonite group of minerals.
Biljana Krüger, Evgeny V. Galuskin, Irina O. Galuskina, Hannes Krüger, and Yevgeny Vapnik
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 341–355, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-341-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-341-2021, 2021
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This is the first description of the new mineral kahlenbergite, found in the Hatrurim Basin, Israel, which is a region with unusual pyrometamorphic rocks. Kahlenbergite is chemically and structurally characterized. It is very similar to β-alumina compounds, which are synthetic materials known for their properties as fast ion conductors. Research in the Hatrurim Basin is needed to understand the complex mechanisms that created this mineralogically diverse
hotspotof new minerals.
Antonia Cepedal, Mercedes Fuertes-Fuente, and Agustín Martin-Izard
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 165–174, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-165-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-165-2021, 2021
Pavel Škácha, Jiří Sejkora, Jakub Plášil, Zdeněk Dolníček, and Jana Ulmanová
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 175–187, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-175-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-175-2021, 2021
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Grimmite, sulfide of cobalt and nickel, is the new mineral for the mineralogical system.
Thomas Witzke, Martin Schreyer, Benjamin Brandes, René Csuk, and Herbert Pöllmann
Eur. J. Mineral., 33, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-33-1-2021, 2021
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The new mineral species freitalite, C14H10, corresponding to the aromatic hydrocarbon anthracene, has been discovered on the mine dump of the Königin Carola shaft (Paul Berndt Mine), Freital, near Dresden, Saxony, Germany. Freitalite is a product of pyrolysis of coal and was formed by sublimation from a gas phase. The mineral was identified by several analytical methods.
Stuart J. Mills, Uwe Kolitsch, Georges Favreau, William D. Birch, Valérie Galea-Clolus, and Johannes Markus Henrich
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 637–644, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-637-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-637-2020, 2020
Fahui Xiong, Xiangzhen Xu, Enrico Mugnaioli, Mauro Gemmi, Richard Wirth, Edward S. Grew, Paul T. Robinson, and Jingsui Yang
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 557–574, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-557-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-557-2020, 2020
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Two new nanominerals: titanium monophosphide and titanium disilicide, formed at pressures of Earth’s upper mantle by the action of methane and hydrogen from the mantle on basaltic melts in the Luobusa ophiolite (Tibet). The minerals were characterized by 3D electron diffraction, which can solve the crystal structures of phases less than a micrometer in size. The results contribute to our understanding of deeply subducted crustal rocks and their exhumation back to the Earth's surface.
Yuan Xue, Guowu Li, and Yingmei Xie
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 483–494, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-483-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-483-2020, 2020
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Wumuite, ideally KAl0.33W2.67O9 with a hexagonal tungsten bronze (HTB)-type structure, is another new mineral containing potassium and tungsten found in the Pan–Xi region in China after tewite was discovered. In this study, artificial synthetic experiments have been conducted to explore the formation process of wumuite and tewite. Wumuite was speculated to be formed by a metasomatic reaction between W-rich hydrothermal fluids and the potassium feldspar in the monzonite.
Simon Philippo, Frédéric Hatert, Yannick Bruni, Pietro Vignola, and Jiří Sejkora
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 449–455, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-449-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-449-2020, 2020
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Luxembourgite, ideally AgCuPbBi4Se8, is a new selenide discovered at Bivels, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The mineral forms tiny fibres deposited on dolomite crystals. Its crystal structure is similar to those of litochlebite and watkinsonite, and can be described as an alternation of two types of anionic layers: a pseudotetragonal layer four atoms thick and a pseudohexagonal layer one atom thick. The species named for the city of Luxembourg, close to its locality of discovery.
Anthony R. Kampf, Barbara P. Nash, Jakub Plášil, Jason B. Smith, and Mark N. Feinglos
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 373–385, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-373-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-373-2020, 2020
Cristiano Ferraris, Isabella Pignatelli, Fernando Cámara, Giancarlo Parodi, Sylvain Pont, Martin Schreyer, and Fengxia Wei
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 355–365, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-355-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-355-2020, 2020
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Laurentthomasite is a new mineral from Madagascar showing a very strong dichroism going from deep blue to yellow-green colours. The physical and chemical characteristics of this gem quality mineral bring it to the attention of the jewel industry as well as collectors of cut stones.
Elena Bonaccorsi and Paolo Orlandi
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 347–354, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-347-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-347-2020, 2020
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Molybdates are of a great interest due to their ionic conductivity, negative thermal expansion, and immobilization of radionuclides. The new mineral tancaite-(Ce), FeCe(MoO4)3•3H2O, shows a new structure type never observed in natural and synthetic molybdates. Its cubic average structure may be described as a derivative of the perovskite structure, in which Fe-centred octahedra are linked through MoO4 groups. The ordering of Mo and O atoms results in one or more complex superstructures.
Natale Perchiazzi, Ulf Hålenius, Nicola Demitri, and Pietro Vignola
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 265–273, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-265-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-265-2020, 2020
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Type material for heliophyllite, preserved in the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, was re-investigated through a combined EPMA (electron probe X-ray microanalysis), Raman, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and single-crystal study. EPMA chemical data, together with Raman and single-crystal structural studies, point to heliophyllite being identical to ecdemite. XRPD synchrotron data highlight the presence of a minor quantity of finely admixed finnemanite in the analyzed material.
Jan Parafiniuk and Frédéric Hatert
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 215–217, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-215-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-215-2020, 2020
Ekaterina Kaneva, Tatiana Radomskaya, Ludmila Suvorova, Irina Sterkhova, and Mikhail Mitichkin
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 137–146, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-137-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-137-2020, 2020
Tomas Husdal, Ian E. Grey, Henrik Friis, Fabrice Dal Bo, Anthony R. Kampf, Colin M. MacRae, W. Gus Mumme, Ole-Thorstein Ljøstad, and Finlay Shanks
Eur. J. Mineral., 32, 89–98, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-89-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-32-89-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the characterization of a new mineral from the Oumlil mine in the Bou Azzer cobalt mining district in Morocco. This mining district is one of the world's largest producers of the important element cobalt. This study on the new mineral halilsarpite provides useful information on the results of chemical weathering processes on the primary arsenide minerals at the mine.
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Short summary
Minerals have complex crystal structures, but many common minerals are built from the same chemical building blocks. TotBlocks is a novel, open-source tool for investigating these structures. It consists of 3D-printed modules representing the silica tetrahedra and metal–oxygen octahedra that form the shared chemical building blocks of rock-forming minerals. TotBlocks is a low-cost visualization tool that relates mineral properties (habit, cleavage, and symmetry) to crystal structures.
Minerals have complex crystal structures, but many common minerals are built from the same...
