Scientists have discovered a new mineral in Western Australia that is unique in structure and composition among the world’s 4,000 known mineral species.
The mineral ‘Putnisite’, described by a visiting research fellow at the University of Adelaide in Mineralogical Magazine, was found in a surface outcrop at Lake Cowan, north of Norseman in Western Australia.
more…
CrazyNeutrino said:
New mineral spottedScientists have discovered a new mineral in Western Australia that is unique in structure and composition among the world’s 4,000 known mineral species.
The mineral ‘Putnisite’, described by a visiting research fellow at the University of Adelaide in Mineralogical Magazine, was found in a surface outcrop at Lake Cowan, north of Norseman in Western Australia.
more…
That brings the total mineral type count up to almost level with the number of states of matter.
Putnisite – a new mineral – was first published in 2012 and has been on MinDat since then. (It takes quite some time for the description to be published in Mineralogical Magazine, hence the recent news articles.) Below is more detailed information on Putnisite and a photomicrograph of a 0.2mm crystal…
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IMA status: Approved 2012
Formula: SrCa 4 Cr 3+ 8 (CO 3 ) 8 SO 4 (OH) 16 · 23H 2 O
System: Orthorhombic
Name: Named after Dr Christine Putnis and Prof Andrew Putnis, both University of Münster, Germany, for their outstanding contributions to mineralogy, especially phase transformations in minerals and mineral surface science (mainly crystal growth and dissolution processes).
http://www.mindat.org/min-42732.html
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Putnisite occurs as isolated pseudocubic crystals, up to 0.5 mm across, and is associated with quartz and a near amorphous Cr silicate. The mineral has a Mohs hardness of 1.5–2, a measured density of 2.20 g/cm3 and a calculated density of 2.23 g/cm3. It is translucent, with a pink streak and vitreous lustre. It is brittle and shows one excellent and two good cleavages parallel to {100}, {010} and {001}.
http://www.sci-news.com/geology/science-putnisite-new-mineral-australia-01869.html
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See also:
http://minmag.geoscienceworld.org/content/78/1/131.abstract
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Published References:
Elliott, P., Giester, G., Rowe, R., Pring, A. (2012) Putnisite, IMA 2011-106. CNMNC Newsletter No. 13, June 2012, page 810; Mineralogical Magazine, 76, 807-817.
Elliott, P., Giester, G., Rowe, R. & Pring, A. (2014): Putnisite, SrCa4Cr3+8(CO3)8SO4(OH)16•25H2O, a new mineral from Western Australia: description and crystal structure. Mineral. Mag. 78, 131-144.
Can’t see any spots?
I approve