The new minerals natromarkeyite, Na2Ca8(UO2)4(CO3)13(H2O)24⋅3H2O (IMA2018-152) and pseudomarkeyite, Ca8(UO2)4(CO3)12(H2O)18⋅3H2O (IMA2018-114) were found in the Markey mine, San Juan County, Utah, USA, where they occur as secondary phases on asphaltum. Natromarkeyite properties are: untwinned blades and tablets to 0.2 mm, pale yellow green colour; transparent; white streak; bright bluish white fluorescence

The Open Access movement has gathered significant momentum over the last couple of years. This has been instigated largely by cOAlition S and those funders which support its aims. Is ‘Read and Publish’ the way forward? Will it work for all publishers? All authors? All subscribers? All readers? This article looks at the history of OA and updates a similar piece from 2013. A detailed glossary of terms

Witherite originates from the biochemical sedimentation of barium in sea water. Due to the complexity of the metallogenic environment, witherite appears in many morphologies. However, the relationship between its diverse morphologies and its mineralisation environment is not well understood. In this paper, Ca2+, a common substitute for Ba2+, and mixed protein (egg white) were used to simulate the inorganic

Khademite, ideally Al(SO4)F(H2O)5, from the Monte Arsiccio mine, Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy, has been characterised through quantitative electron microprobe analysis, micro-Raman spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Khademite occurs as colourless to whitish tabular crystals, up to 5 mm. Electron microprobe analysis (in wt.%, average of 20 spot analyses) gave: SO3 35.43, Al2O3 21.27, F

Biogenic nanoscale vanadium magnetite is produced by converting V(V)-bearing ferrihydrites through reductive transformation using the metal-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens. With increasing vanadium in the ferrihydrite, the amount of V-doped magnetite produced decreased due to V-toxicity which interrupted the reduction pathway ferrihydrite–magnetite, resulting in siderite or goethite formation

We report the crystal structures of four synthetic members of the variscite group (space group type Pbca) and of bonacinaite, the first naturally occurring scandium arsenate member of the metavariscite group. All structures were determined using single-crystal X-ray intensity data. The following members were all synthesised under either mild hydrothermal conditions or by wet-chemical methods (<90°C)

Bulachite specimens from Cap Garonne, France, comprise two intimately mixed hydrated aluminium arsenate minerals with the same Al:As ratio of 2:1 and with different water contents. The crystal structures of both minerals have been solved using data from low-dose electron diffraction tomography combined with synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. One of the minerals has the same powder X-ray diffraction

Alstonite, BaCa(CO3)2, is a mineral described almost two centuries ago. It is widespread in Nature and forms magnificent cm-sized crystals. Notwithstanding, its crystal structure was still unknown. Here, we report the crystal-structure determination of the mineral and discuss it in relationship to other polymorphs of BaCa(CO3)2. Alstonite is trigonal, space group P31m, with unit-cell parameters a =

Petrovite, Na10CaCu2(SO4)8, is a new sulfate mineral discovered on the Second scoria cone of the Great Tolbachik fissure eruption. The mineral occurs as globular aggregates of tabular crystals up to 0.2 mm in maximal dimension, generally with gaseous inclusions. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of O = 32 is Na6(Na1.80K0.20)Σ2Na(Ca0.82Na0.06Mg0.02)Σ0.90(Cu1.84Mg0.16)Σ2(Na0.52□0.48)Σ1S8

The new mineral isselite, Cu6(SO4)(OH)10(H2O)4⋅H2O, has been discovered in the Lagoscuro mine, Monte Ramazzo mining complex, Genoa, Eastern Liguria, Italy. It occurs as sprays of blue acicular crystals, up to 0.1 mm long, associated with brochantite and posnjakite. Streak is light blue and the lustre is vitreous. Isselite is brittle, with irregular fracture and good cleavage on {001} and {100}. Measured

Preferential removal of W relative to other trace elements from zoned, W–Sn–U–Pb-bearing hematite coupled with disturbance of U–Pb isotope systematics is attributed to pseudomorphic replacement via coupled dissolution reprecipitation reaction (CDRR). This hematite has been studied down to the nanoscale to understand the mechanisms leading to compositional and U/Pb isotope heterogeneity at the grain

Luboržákite, ideally Mn2AsSbS5, is a new mineral from the Vorontsovskoe gold deposit, Northern Urals, Russia. It forms long-prismatic crystals up to 70 × 20 μm and anhedral grains of the same size embedded in the matrix of Mn-bearing dolomite and Mn-bearing calcite. Associated minerals include pyrite, orpiment, realgar, stibnite, aktashite, alabandite, boscardinite, chabournéite, coloradoite, clerite

The new leucophosphite-group mineral ammoniotinsleyite is found in a guano deposit located on the Pabellón de Pica Mountain, Iquique Province, Tarapacá Region, Chile. Associated minerals are halite, gypsum, salammoniac and clay minerals. Ammoniotinsleyite occurs as pink to pale violet globular aggregates up to 3 mm across with individual single crystals ~10–15 μm. The mineral is brittle. Its Mohs hardness

The new mineral fluorapophyllite-(NH4), ideally NH4Ca4(Si8O20)F⋅8H2O, was found at the Vechec andesite quarry located near Vechec village, Vranov nad Topľou Co., Prešov Region, Slovak Republic. It occurs in cavities of quartz–illite–saponite–tobelite xenolith embedded in pyroxene andesite. Fluorapophyllite-(NH4) is associated with calcite, tridymite, pyrite, chabazite-Ca and heulandite-Ca. It forms

The new alluaudite-group mineral badalovite was found in the Arsenatnaya fumarole at the Second scoria cone of the Northern Breakthrough of the Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption, Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka, Russia. It is associated with hematite, tenorite, cassiterite, johillerite, nickenichite, calciojohillerite, bradaczekite, metathénardite, aphthitalite, langbeinite, calciolangbeinite, sanidine

The paper opens a series devoted to the mineral diversity of the Mochalin Log rare earth element (REE) deposit, South Urals, Russia. There is a brief outline of the history of studies and geology of the deposit as well as the description of two new isostructural gatelite-group minerals, ferriperbøeite-(La) (CaLa3)(Fe3+Al2Fe2+)[Si2O7][SiO4]3O(OH)2 and perbøeite-(La) (CaLa3)(Al3Fe2+)[Si2O7][SiO4]3O(OH)2

Jahnsite-(CaMnZn), CaMn2+Zn2Fe3+2(PO4)4(OH)2⋅8H2O, is a new jahnsite-group mineral associated with alteration of phosphophyllite at the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Bavaria. It forms as thin yellow crusts and brown epitactic growths on altered phosphophyllite, both of which comprise lath-like crystals in orthogonal orientation, up to 100 μm long. The crystals contain intergrowths of jahnsite-(CaMnZn) and

The crystal structure of pyrostilpnite from the Plaka mine, Lavrion Mining District, Greece, was refined in the space group P21/c to a final R1 index of 0.0283 on the basis of 2047 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo) and 65 refined parameters. Unit-cell parameters of the crystal examined are a = 6.8629(6), b = 15.8800(14), c = 6.2711(5) Å, β = 117.087(2)°, V = 608.48(9) Å3 and Z = 4. Chemical data agree with

Tetrahedrite-(Hg), Cu6(Cu4Hg2)Sb4S13, has been approved as a new mineral species using samples from Buca della Vena mine (hereafter BdV), Italy, Jedová hora (Jh), Czech Republic and Rožňava (R), Slovakia. It occurs as anhedral grains or as tetrahedral crystals, black in colour, with metallic lustre. At BdV it is associated with cinnabar and chalcostibite in dolomite veins. At Jh, tetrahedrite-(Hg)

A new mineral glikinite, ideally Zn3O(SO4)2, was found in high-temperature exhalative mineral assemblages in the Arsenatnaya fumarole, Second scoria cone of the Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption (1975–1976), Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Glikinite is associated closely with langbeinite, lammerite-β, bradaczekite, euchlorine, anhydrite, chalcocyanite and tenorite. It is monoclinic,

Bowlesite is a new mineral discovered in the Merensky Reef of the Rustenburg Platinum Mine, Bushveld complex, South Africa. Bowlesite forms tiny grains (maximum dimension 20 μm). It is associated with sulfides including chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and pentlandite, in contact with silicates including plagioclase, pyroxene- and minor serpentine-subgroup and amphibole-supergroup minerals. Bowlesite is brittle

The Duotoushan deposit is an important Fe–Cu deposit in the Aqishan–Yamansu metallogenic belt of eastern Tianshan, NW China. Magnetite occurs in two main habits which are common in many Fe–Cu deposits, i.e. platy (TD1 Mag) and granular magnetite (TD2 Mag) have been identified at Duotoushan. Platy magnetite shows two different zones (bright and dark) based on the observations by scanning electron microscopy

Arsenopyrite (FeAsS) and realgar (As4S4) are two common arsenic minerals that often cause serious environmental issues. Centralised treatment of arsenic-containing tailings can reduce land occupation and save management costs. The current work examined the remediation schemes of tailings from Hunan Province, China, where by different tailings containing arsenopyrite and realgar were blended with exogenous

Cuyaite (IMA2019-126), Ca2Mn3+As3+14O24Cl, is a new arsenite mineral from near Cuya in the Camarones Valley, Arica Province, Chile. It is associated with anhydrite, native arsenic, arsenolite, calcite, claudetite, ferrinatrite, gajardoite-3R, leiteite, magnesiocopiapite, phosphosiderite, pyrite, realgar and talmessite and formed from the oxidation of As-bearing primary phases and alteration by saline

Hagstromite, Pb8Cu2+(Te6+O6)2(CO3)Cl4, (IMA2019-093) is a new tellurate mineral from Otto Mountain near Baker, California, USA. It occurs on quartz in association with cerussite, fuettererite and thorneite. It is a secondary oxidation zone mineral and is presumed to have formed by oxidation of earlier formed tellurides, chalcopyrite and galena. Hagstromite occurs as light yellow–green blades, up to

Langhofite, ideally Pb2(OH)[WO4(OH)], is a new mineral from the Långban mine, Värmland, Sweden. The mineral and its name were approved by the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (IMA2019-005). It occurs in a small vug in hematite–pyroxene skarn associated with calcite, baryte, fluorapatite, mimetite and minor sulfide minerals. Langhofite

Biagioniite, ideally Tl2SbS2, is a new mineral from the Hemlo gold deposit, Marathon, Ontario, Canada. It occurs as very rare anhedral crystals up to 65 μm across associated with aurostibite, stibarsen and native gold in a calcite matrix. Biagioniite is opaque with a metallic lustre and shows a black streak. In reflected light biagioniite is moderately bireflectant and not pleochroic. Under crossed

Oxybismutomicrolite, ideally [(Bi3+,#)2]Σ4+Ta2O6O, where # = subordinate substituents, such as Na+, Ca2+ and vacancy (□), is a microlite-group, pyrochlore-supergroup mineral discovered at the Solnechnaya (‘Sunny’) pegmatite vein, Malkhan pegmatite field, Zabaykalskiy Kray, Central Transbaikalia, Russia. It forms rough octahedral crystals up to 1 mm across and equant grains up to 2 mm across embedded

A new mineral falgarite, K4(V+4O)3(SO4)5 was discovered at the tract of Kukhi-Malik, Fan-Yagnob coal deposit, ca. 75 km N of Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The new mineral is named after the Falgar, an ancient Sogdian name for an area around the Zeravshan riverhead. Falgarite is a fumarolic mineral formed directly from a gas emitted by a natural underground coal fire. Associated minerals are anhydrite, baryte

A nomenclature and classification scheme has been approved by IMA–CNMNC for the magnetoplumbite group, with the general formula A[B12]O19. The classification on the highest hierarchical level is decided by the dominant metal at the 12-coordinated A sites, at present leading to the magnetoplumbite (A = Pb), hawthorneite (A = Ba) and hibonite (A = Ca) subgroups. Two species remain ungrouped. Most cations

Oxidation zones and mine wastes are metal-rich, near-surface environments, natural and man-made critical zones of ore deposits, respectively. They contain a number of minerals which, despite their metastability, occur consistently and in abundance. Field studies, presented as examples in this work, show that metastable minerals form not only directly from aqueous solutions, but also from more complex

The general structural formula for the walentaite group is [((A1yA1’1–y), A2)(H2O)n][Bx(As2)2–x(As3)M1(M2)2(TO4)2(O,OH)7], based on heteropolyhedral layers of configuration [M1(M2)2(TO4)2(O,OH)6], with surface-coordinated species at the B, As2 and As3 sites, and with interlayer hydrated cation groups centred at the A sites. The group is divided into walentaite and halilsarpite subgroups based on T

The new mineral pseudomeisserite-(NH4) (IMA2018-166), (NH4,K)2Na4[(UO2)2(SO4)5]⋅4H2O, was found in the Blue Lizard mine, San Juan County, Utah, USA, where it occurs as light yellow prisms in a secondary assemblage with belakovskiite, blödite, changoite, ferrinatrite, gypsum, ivsite, metavoltine and tamarugite. The streak is very pale yellow and the fluorescence is bright lime green under 405 nm ultraviolet

The crystal structures of synthetic 7 angstrom and 10 angstrom manganates, synthetic birnessite and buserite, substituted by mono- and divalent cations were investigated by X-ray and electron diffractions. The monoclinic unit cell parameters of the subcell of lithium 7 angstrom manganate, which is one of the best ordered manganates, were obtained by computing the X-ray powder diffraction data: a =