Roymillerite, Pb24Mg9(Si9AlO28)(SiO4)(BO3)(CO3)10(OH)14O4, a new mineral: mineralogical characterization and crystal chemistryShow others and affiliations
2017 (English)In: Physics and chemistry of minerals, ISSN 0342-1791, E-ISSN 1432-2021, Vol. 44, no 10, p. 685-699Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The new mineral roymillerite Pb24Mg9(Si9AlO28)(SiO4)(BO3)(CO3)(10)(OH)(14)O-4, related to britvinite and molybdophyllite, was discovered in a Pb-rich assemblage from the Kombat Mine, Grootfontein district, Otjozondjupa region, Namibia, which includes also jacobsite, cerussite, hausmannite, sahlinite, rhodochrosite, barite, grootfonteinite, Mn-Fe oxides, and melanotekite. Roymillerite forms platy single-crystal grains up to 1.5 mm across and up to 0.3 mm thick. The new mineral is transparent, colorless to light pink, with a strong vitreous lustre. Cleavage is perfect on (001). Density calculated using the empirical formula is equal to 5.973 g/cm(3). Roymillerite is optically biaxial, negative, alpha = 1.86(1), beta ae gamma = 1.94(1), 2V (meas.) = 5(5)A degrees. The IR spectrum shows the presence of britvinite-type tetrahedral sheets, , , and OH- groups. The chemical composition is (wt%; electron microprobe, H2O and CO2 determined by gas chromatography, the content of B2O3 derived from structural data): MgO 4.93, MnO 1.24, FeO 0.95, PbO 75.38, B2O3 0.50, Al2O3 0.74, CO2 5.83, SiO2 7.90, H2O 1.8, total 99.27. The empirical formula based on 83 O atoms pfu (i.e. Z = 1) is Pb24.12Mg8.74Mn1.25Fe0.94B1.03Al1.04C9.46Si9.39H14.27O83. The crystal structure was determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The new mineral is triclinic, space group P , with a = 9.315(1), b = 9.316(1), c = 26.463(4) , alpha = 83.295(3)A degrees, beta = 83.308(3)A degrees, gamma = 60.023(2)A degrees, V = 1971.2(6) (3). The crystal structure of roymillerite is based built by alternating pyrophyllite-type TOT-modules Mg-9(OH)(8)[(Si,Al)(10)O-28] and I-blocks Pb-24(OH)(6)O-4(CO3)(10)(BO3,SiO4). The strongest lines of the powder X-ray diffraction pattern [d, (I, %) (hkl)] are: 25.9 (100) (001), 13.1 (11) (002), 3.480 (12) (017, 107, -115, 1-15), 3.378 (14) (126, 216), 3.282 (16) (-2-15, -1-25), 3.185 (12) (-116, 1-16), 2.684 (16) (031, 301, 030, 300, 332, -109, 0-19, 1-18), 2.382 (11) (0.0.-11). Roymillerite is named to honor Dr. Roy McG. Miller for his important contributions to the knowledge of the geology of Namibia.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2017. Vol. 44, no 10, p. 685-699
Keywords [en]
New mineral, Roymillerite, Britvinite, Crystal structure, IR spectroscopy, Kombat Mine, Namibia
National Category
Geology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-340914DOI: 10.1007/s00269-017-0893-2ISI: 000414161200001OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-340914DiVA, id: diva2:1180369
2018-02-052018-02-052018-02-23Bibliographically approved