Category
page 9Monoclinic minerals
feodosiyite
Feodosiyite is a very rare chloride mineral, just recently approved, with the formula Cu11Mg2Cl18(OH)8•16H2O. Its structure is unique. Feodosiyite comes from the Tolbachik volcano, famous for many rare fumarolic minerals. Chemically similar minerals, chlorides containing both copper and magnesium, include haydeeite, paratacamite-(Mg) and tondiite.
belloite
Belloite is a halide mineral first discovered in the Rio Tinto Mine in Sierra Gorda, Antofagasta, Chile in 1998. Belloite has the ideal chemical formula of Cu(OH)Cl. The mineral has been approved by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, IMA, to be named belloite, after Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López, the founder of the Universidad de Chile. Samples of belloite are preserved in the collection of the Mineralogical Museum in Hamburg, Germany.
julgoldite
Julgoldite is a member of the pumpellyite mineral series, a series of minerals characterized by the chemical bonding of silica tetrahedra with alkali and transition metal cations. Julgoldites, along with more common minerals like epidote and vesuvianite, belong to the subclass of sorosilicates, the rock-forming minerals that contain SiO4 tetrahedra that share a common oxygen to form Si2O7 ions with a charge of 6− (Deer et al., 1996). Julgoldite has been recognized for its importance in low grade metamorphism, forming under shear stress accompanied by relatively low temperatures (Coombs, 1953).
fianelite
Fianelite is a mineral belonging to the manganese vanadate category, found in iron-manganese ores. Named after the place where it was found, Fianel, a mine located in Val Ferrera (Ferrera valley), in the canton of Graubünden, Swiss. This mineral is found in small amounts in metamorphosed iron-manganese ores. This is the last crystallization of vanadate at the site since medaite was the last vanadate mineral being crystallized, but because of retrograde metamorphism, occurring at the place, vanadium moved into medaite veinlets, forming cross-cutting fianelite on medaite.
decrespignyite-(Y)
Decrespignyite-(Y) is a copper yttrium rare earth carbonate chloride hydrate;
With a simple formula of; Cu(Y, REE)4(CO3)4(OH)5Cl · 2H2O
Usually found as single pseudohexagonal platelets, often curved, and regularly measuring 10-50μm in size. It appears as royal blue to turquoise blue in colour, with a pale blue streak, and a pearly to vitreous lustre.
Regarded as a supergene mineral which is believed to be formed through by mildly carbonated ground waters precipitating through the ore body. It is often associated with malachite, kamphaugite-(Y), donnayite-(Y) and caysichite-(Y). It is to be
monazite-(Sm)
Monazite-(Sm) is an exceedingly rare representative of the monazite group, with samarium being the dominant rare earth element in its structure. It is the samarium analogue of monazite-(Ce), monazite-(La), and monazite-(Nd). It is only the second known mineral with samarium being the mineral-forming element, after florencite-(Sm). The group contains simple rare earth phosphate minerals with the general formula of ATO4, where A = Ce, La, Nd, or Sm (or, rarely, Bi), and B = P or, rarely, As. The A site may also bear Ca and Th.
billwiseite
Billwiseite is a very rare oxide mineral found at the pegmatite commonly referred to as "Stak Nala" located within a few hundred yards from the village of Toghla in the Stak Nala, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It has only been found as a coating on a single crystal of lepidolite. The sole rock containing Billwiseite is kept at the Royal Ontario Museum, catalogue number M5595.
marklite
Marklite is a hydrated copper carbonate mineral named after Gregor Markl, a German mineralogist at the University of Tübingen. Markl found the type specimen of marklite in the dumps of the Friedrich-Christian mine in the Black Forest Mountains in southwestern Germany. Markl specializes in crustal petrology and geochemistry and has studied the hydrothermal ore deposits of the Black Forest area. Jakub Plášil of the Institute of Physics at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and colleagues identified its structure.
alsakharovite-Zn
Alsakharovite-Zn (IMA symbol: Ask-Zn) is an extremely rare alkaline strontium zinc titanium silicate mineral from the cyclosilicates class, with the chemical formula , from alkaline pegmatites. It belongs to the labuntsovite group.
nickelblödite
Nickelblödite is a rare nickel sulfate mineral with the formula Na2Ni(SO4)2·4H2O. Nickelblödite was discovered in nickel mines in Carr Boyd Rocks and Kambalda, Western Australia. The mineral is a nickel-analogue of blödite, changoite, cobaltoblödite and manganoblödite - other representatives of the blödite group.
mammothite
Mammothite is a mineral found in the Mammoth mine in Tiger, Arizona and also in Laurium, Attika, Greece. This mineral was named in 1985 by Donald R. Peacor, Pete J. Dunn, G. Schnorrer-Köhler, and Richard A. Bideaux, for the Mammoth vein (one of the two main veins in the mine) and the town of Mammoth, Arizona, which was named for the mine. The mammothite that is found in Arizona exist as euhedral crystals imbedded in micro granular, white colored anglesite with a saccharoidal texture. The associated minerals include phosgenite, wulfenite, leadhillite and caledonite. In Greece, the mammothite ex
carlfriesite
Carlfriesite is a rare tellurium mineral with the formula CaTe4+2Te6+O8, or more simplified: CaTe3O8. It has a Moh's hardness of 3.5 and it occurs in various shades of yellow, ranging from bright yellow to a light buttery color. It was named after Carl Fries Jr. (1910–1965) from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Geological Institute of the National University, Mexico City, Mexico. It was previously thought to have the formula H4Ca(TeO3)3, but this was proven to be incorrect. It has no uses beyond being a collector's item.
macaulayite
Macaulayite is a red, earthy, monoclinic mineral, with the chemical formula (Fe3+,Al)24Si4O43(OH)2. It was discovered in the 1970s by Jeff Wilson and named after the Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland. The only known source of macaulayite in the world is a quarry at the foot of Bennachie, Aberdeenshire, and it is formed by granite which has been weathered by tropical climates from before the last ice age. The substance is currently being studied by NASA, as it is speculated that this is the substance which gives the planet Mars its colour and it could prove that life on Mars can be susta
clinocervantite
Clinocervantite is a monoclinic-prismatic mineral with a chemical formula of Sb3+Sb5+O4. It was discovered in 1999 in cavities of waste rock at the Cetine Mine in Siena, Italy.
lislkirchnerite
Lislkirchnerite is a rare nitrate mineral with the formula Pb6Al(OH)8Cl2(NO3)5•2H2O. It was discovered in Nueva Esperanza No. 1 mine within the Capillitas deposit, Catamarca, Argentina.
studenitsite
Studenitsite is a rare borate mineral with chemical formula of .
diallage
Diallage is an inosilicate, meaning it is a chain silicate, and is a part of the pyroxene group. Diallage is a junction between augite and diopside, just like fassaite. It was named in 1801 by René Just Haüy. Its name derives from the Greek word diallaghé (meaning change, transform, difference), as its composition differs from that of the other minerals in the pyroxene group. It is a fairly common mineral, and is cheap.
cymrite
Cymrite is a silicate mineral with the chemical formula BaAl2Si2(O,OH)8·H2O. The mineral is named for Cymru, which is the Welsh word for Wales.
tumchaite
Tumchaite, , is a colorless to white monoclinic phyllosilicate mineral. It is associated with calcite, dolomite, and pyrite in the late dolomite-calcite carbonatites. It can be transparent to translucent; has a vitreous luster; and has perfect cleavage on {100}. Its hardness is 4.5, between fluorite and apatite. Tumchaite is isotypic with penkvilksite. The structure of the mineral is identified by silicate sheets parallel {100}, formed by alternation of clockwise and counterclockwise growing spiral chains of corner-sharing tetrahedra. Tumchaite is named for the river Tumcha near Vuoriyarvi mas
mcgillite
thumb|right|Mcgillite specimen in the Redpath Museum, [[McGill University.]]
zincobotryogen
Zincobotryogen is a hydrous sulfate mineral with the chemical formula . It forms bright orange red monoclinic prismatic crystals that exhibit a vitreous to greasy luster. Its specific gravity is 2.201 and it has a Mohs hardness of 2.5.
fontarnauite
Fontarnauite is a relatively recently described, rare sulfate, borate mineral with the chemical formula . It is found in an evaporite boron deposit. It coexists with other evaporite boron minerals, especially probertite. It is monoclinic, crystallizing in the space group P21/c.
scotlandite
Scotlandite is a sulfite mineral first discovered in a mine at Leadhills in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, an area known to mineralogists and geologists for its wide range of different mineral species found in the veins that lie deep in the mine shafts. This specific mineral is found in the Susanna vein of Leadhills, where the crystals are formed as chisel-shaped or bladed. Scotlandite was actually the first naturally occurring sulfite, which has the ideal chemical formula of PbSO3. The mineral has been approved by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, IMA, to be named scotlandite fo
parthéite
Partheite or parthéite is a calcium aluminium silicate and a member of the zeolite group of minerals, a group of silicates with large open channels throughout the crystal structure, which allow passage of liquids and gasses through the mineral. It was first discovered in 1979 in rodingitic dikes in an ophiolite zone of the Taurus Mountains in southwest Turkey. The second discovery occurred in gabbro-pegmatites in the Ural Mountains, Russia. Since its discovery and naming, the chemical formula for partheite has been revised from CaAl2Si2O8·2H2O to include not only water but hydroxyl groups as w
mountain soap
old name for a large group of minerals, soap clays
winchite
Winchite is a mineral in the amphibole group.
ransomite
Ransomite is a sulfate mineral first discovered at the United Verde mine in Jerome Arizona. This mineral was formed as a result of a mine fire. The United Verde mine is one of few places in the world where Ransomite can be found. This mineral can be described as a soluble sulfate that forms needle-like crystals and has a pale blue color in transmitted light. This mineral was named by Carl B. Lausen as a tribute to Frederick Leslie Ransome. Ransome was an American mining geologist who worked at the California Institute of Technology, the University of Arizona and the United states Geological Su
achalaite
Achalaite ((Fe2+, Mn)(Ti, Fe3+, Ta)(Nb, Ta)2O8) is a black mineral of the wodginite group, first discovered in 2013.
peterandresenite
Peterandresenite is a very rare mineral, the first known natural hexaniobate. Its chemical formula is Mn4Nb6O19•14H2O. Its structure contains a special type of octahedron: Lindqvist ion. Peterandresenite was found in a pegmatite of the Larvik complex in Norway. It is somewhat similar to other unique niobium minerals, aspedamite and menezesite.
plavnoite
thumb | right
Plavnoite is a rare complex uranium sulfate mineral with the formula K0.8Mn0.6[(UO2)2O2(SO4)]•3.5H2O. Typically for the secondary uranium mineral, plavnoite contains uranyl groups. It was discovered in the Plavno mine in Jáchymov, Czech Republic. The Jáchymov site is known as a type locality for many rare and unique minerals.
simmonsite
Simmonsite is a halide mineral, being a tertiary light metal fluoride, with formula Na2LiAlF6. It was first discovered in nature in Mineral County in the Gillis Range of Nevada, U.S.A. The mineral is found intergrown with cryolite, cryolithionite and trace elpasolite. The mineral has a monoclinic structure of P2 or P2/m. The ideal chemical formula for simmonsite is Na2LiAlF6. The mineral has a no visible cleavage, Mohs hardness of 2.53, a pale white color with a white streak and feels somewhat greasy. Simmonsite was named for the Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology at the University of New O
edoylerite
Edoylerite is a rare mercury-containing mineral. Edoylerite was first discovered in 1961 by Edward H. Oyler, whom the mineral is named after, in a meter-sized boulder at the Clear Creek claim in San Benito County, California. The Clear Creek claim is located near the abandoned Clear Creek mercury mine. The material from the boulder underwent several analyses including, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), a single crystal study, and a preliminary electron microprobe analysis (EMA). Using these analyses it was determined that this was a new mineral but the nature of the material at the time prevente
glushinskite
Glushinskite is an oxalate mineral and the mineral form of magnesium oxalate. Occurrences of glushinskite are commonly associated with the growth of lichen on serpentinite.
monazite-(Nd)
Monazite-(Nd) is a relatively rare representative of the monazite group, with neodymium being the dominant rare earth element in its structure. This variety of monazite is typically colored bright rose-red. It is the neodymium analogue of monazite-(Ce), monazite-(La), and monazite-(Sm). The group contains simple rare earth phosphate minerals with the general formula of ATO4, where A = Ce, La, Nd, or Sm (or, rarely, Bi), and B = P or, rarely, As. The A site may also bear Ca and Th.
heptasartorite
Heptasartorite is a very rare mineral with formula Tl7Pb22As55S108. It belongs to sartorite homologous series. It is related to other recently approved minerals of the series: enneasartorite and hendekasartorite. All three minerals come from a quarry in Lengenbach, Switzerland, which is famous of thallium minerals. Chemically similar minerals include edenharterite and hutchinsonite.
bijvoetite-(Y)
Bijvoetite-(Y) is a very rare rare-earth and uranium mineral with the formula (Y,REE)8(UO2)16(CO3)16O8(OH)8·39H2O. When compared to the original description, the formula of bijvoetite-(Y) was changed in the course of crystal structure redefinition. Bijvoetite-(Y) is an example of natural salts containing both uranium and yttrium, the other examples being kamotoite-(Y) and sejkoraite-(Y). Bijvoetite-(Y) comes from Shinkolobwe deposit in Republic of Congo, which is famous for rare uranium minerals. The other interesting rare-earth-bearing uranium mineral, associated with bijvoetite-(Y), is leper
spriggite
Spriggite is an uranyl hydroxide mineral with chemical formula Pb3(UO2)6O8(OH)2·3H2O. Its type locality is Mt Painter region, Arkaroola region, Flinders Ranges, South Australia. It was named after Reginald C. Sprigg (1919–1994).
pseudowollastonite
Pseudowollastonite is a high-temperature mineral phase of CaSiO3 and is polymorphous with wollastonite. Its formula can alternatively be written as Ca3Si3O9. Other names include ß-Wollastonite, and cyclowollastonite.