Phosphosiderite

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Phosphosiderite
Phosphosiderite-141096.jpg
Red phosphosiderite between violet strengite. Picture width 4 mm.
General
Category Phosphate minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)
Hydrated iron phosphate FePO4·2H2O
IMA symbol Phsd [1]
Crystal system Monoclinic
Crystal class Prismatic 2/m
Space group P21/n (no. 14)
Unit cell 454.76 ų
Identification
Formula mass 186.85
ColorUsually red to pink to purple, sometimes green, usually yellow veined
Crystal habit Tabular {010} or stout prismatic [001]
Twinning Common on {101}, typically as interpenetration
Cleavage {010} Distinct, {001} Indistinct
Fracture Uneven
Mohs scale hardness3.5–4
Luster Vitreous
Streak White
Diaphaneity Transparent, translucent
Specific gravity 2.74–2.76
Density 2.74 – 2.76 measured, 2.76 calculated
Optical propertiesBiaxial (−)
Refractive index nα = 1.692
nβ = 1.725
nγ = 1.738
Birefringence 0.046
Pleochroism Visible
2V angle Measured: 62°, Calculated: 62°
Dispersion Very strong
r > v
Solubility Totally soluble in hydrochloric acid, nearly insoluble in nitric acid

Phosphosiderite is a rare mineral named for its main components, phosphate and iron. The siderite at the end of phosphosiderite comes from the word "sideros", the Greek word for iron. It was published in 1890, and has been a valid species since pre-IMA. It is an IMA approved mineral which got grandfathered, meaning its name is still believed to refer to an existing species. [2]

Contents

Properties

Phosphosiderite is a member of the metavariscite group, [2] and probably forms a complete series with metavariscite. It is the dimorph of strengite. [3] It is totally soluble in Hydrochloric acid and nearly insoluble in nitric acid. [4] It is usually cut into a cabochon shape for jewelry, and used as an ornamental stone. [3] It mainly consists of oxygen (51.38%), iron (29.89%) and phosphorus (16.58%), but contains hydrogen (2.16%) as well. [5]

Colors

Phosphosiderite is often found in a bright orchid-purple tint with yellow-colored streaks. The vein-like streaks found in the stone are known as cacoxenite. Four other rare color variants are rose red, brown-reddish yellow, mossy green, and dark shades of purple. Phosphosiderite can also be found as a colorless mineral. [6] It is pleochroic; on the X axis around 4° it is light rose, on the Y axis it is carmine red, and on Z it is colorless. [6]

Occurrences and localities

Phosphosiderite is mined in some parts of Chile, Argentina, Germany, Portugal, and the United States. It occurs in association with strengite, turquoise, triphylite, leucophosphite, huréaulite, barbosalite and laueite. [7] In zoned granitic pegmatites, it usually occurs as an alteration product of primary phosphates. This makes it a secondary phosphate. [3] It may be replacing shells and bones, and can occur in the soil as a component of it as well. [7] However, the latter is rarer. [3]

Related Research Articles

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Petalite, also known as castorite, is a lithium aluminum phyllosilicate mineral LiAlSi4O10, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. Petalite occurs as colorless, pink, grey, yellow, yellow grey, to white tabular crystals and columnar masses. It occurs in lithium-bearing pegmatites with spodumene, lepidolite, and tourmaline. Petalite is an important ore of lithium, and is converted to spodumene and quartz by heating to ~500 °C and under 3 kbar of pressure in the presence of a dense hydrous alkali borosilicate fluid with a minor carbonate component. Petalite (and secondary spodumene formed from it) is lower in iron than primary spodumene, making it a more useful source of lithium in, e.g., the production of glass. The colorless varieties are often used as gemstones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoisite</span> Sorosilicate mineral

Zoisite, first known as saualpite, after its type locality, is a calcium aluminum hydroxy sorosilicate belonging to the epidote group of minerals. Its chemical formula is Ca2Al3(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivianite</span> Phosphate mineral

Vivianite (Fe2+
3
(PO
4
)
2
·8H
2
O
) is a hydrated iron phosphate mineral found in a number of geological environments. Small amounts of manganese Mn2+, magnesium Mg2+, and calcium Ca2+ may substitute for iron Fe2+ in the structure. Pure vivianite is colorless, but the mineral oxidizes very easily, changing the color, and it is usually found as deep blue to deep bluish green prismatic to flattened crystals.
Vivianite crystals are often found inside fossil shells, such as those of bivalves and gastropods, or attached to fossil bone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natrolite</span> Zeolite mineral

Natrolite is a tectosilicate mineral species belonging to the zeolite group. It is a hydrated sodium and aluminium silicate with the formula Na2Al2Si3O10·2H2O. The type locality is Hohentwiel, Hegau, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adamite</span> Zinc arsenate hydroxide mineral

Adamite is a zinc arsenate hydroxide mineral, Zn2AsO4OH. It is a mineral that typically occurs in the oxidized or weathered zone above zinc ore occurrences. Pure adamite is colorless, but usually it possess yellow color due to Fe compounds admixture. Tints of green also occur and are connected with copper substitutions in the mineral structure. Olivenite is a copper arsenate that is isostructural with adamite and there is considerable substitution between zinc and copper resulting in an intermediate called cuproadamite. Zincolivenite is a recently discovered mineral being an intermediate mineral with formula CuZn(AsO4)(OH). Manganese, cobalt, and nickel also substitute in the structure. An analogous zinc phosphate, tarbuttite, is known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutnohorite</span> Mineral of calcium manganese carbonate

Kutnohorite is a rare calcium manganese carbonate mineral with magnesium and iron that is a member of the dolomite group. It forms a series with dolomite, and with ankerite. The end member formula is CaMn2+(CO3)2, but Mg2+ and Fe2+ commonly substitute for Mn2+, with the manganese content varying from 38% to 84%, so the formula Ca(Mn2+,Mg,Fe2+)(CO3)2 better represents the species. It was named by Professor Bukowsky in 1901 after the type locality of Kutná Hora, Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. It was originally spelt "kutnahorite" but "kutnohorite" is the current IMA-approved spelling.

Rhomboclase is an acidic iron sulfate mineral with a formula reported as H5Fe3+O2(SO4)2·2(H2O) or HFe(SO4)2·4(H2O). It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and typically occurs as tabular crystals with a rhombic outline. It occurs as transparent colorless, blue, green, yellow or grey crystals with a vitreous to pearly luster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augelite</span> Aluminium phosphate mineral

Augelite is an aluminium phosphate mineral with formula: Al2(PO4)(OH)3. The shade varies from colorless to white, yellow or rose. Its crystal system is monoclinic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlinite</span>

Berlinite (aluminium phosphate, chemical formula AlPO4 or Al(PO4)) is a rare high-temperature hydrothermal or metasomatic phosphate mineral. It has the same crystal structure as quartz with a low temperature polytype isostructural with α–quartz and a high temperature polytype isostructural with β–quartz. Berlinite can vary from colorless to greyish or pale pink and has translucent crystals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taranakite</span> Iron-aluminium phosphate mineral

Taranakite is a hydrated alkali iron-aluminium phosphate mineral with chemical formula (K,Na)3(Al,Fe3+)5(PO4)2(HPO4)6·18 H2O. It forms from the reaction of clay minerals or aluminous rocks with solutions enriched in phosphate derived from bat or bird guano or, less commonly, from bones or other organic matter. Taranakite is most commonly found in humid, bat inhabited caves near the boundary of guano layers with the cave surface. It is also found in perennially wet coastal locations that have been occupied by bird colonies. The type location, and its namesake, the Sugar Loaf Islands off Taranaki, New Zealand, is an example of a coastal occurrence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyrilovite</span>

Cyrilovite (NaFe33+(PO4)2(OH)4·2(H2O)) is a hydrous sodium iron phosphate mineral. It is isomorphous and isostructural with wardite, the sodium aluminium counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsumebite</span>

Tsumebite is a rare phosphate mineral named in 1912 after the locality where it was first found, the Tsumeb mine in Namibia, well known to mineral collectors for the wide range of minerals found there. Tsumebite is a compound phosphate and sulfate of lead and copper, with hydroxyl, formula Pb2Cu(PO4)(SO4)(OH). There is a similar mineral called arsentsumebite, where the phosphate group PO4 is replaced by the arsenate group AsO4, giving the formula Pb2Cu(AsO4)(SO4)(OH). Both minerals are members of the brackebuschite group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warikahnite</span> Rare zinc arsenate mineral

Warikahnite is a rare zinc arsenate mineral of the triclinic crystal system with Hermann- Mauguin notation 1, belonging to the space group P1. It occurs in the Tsumeb mine in Namibia on corroded tennantite in the second oxidation zone under hydrothermal conditions in a dolomite-hosted polymetallic ore deposit. It is associated with adamite, stranskiite, koritnigite, claudetite, tsumcorite, and ludlockite. The origin of discovery was in a dolomite ore formation within an oxidized hydrothermal zone, in the E9 pillar, 31st level of the Tsumeb Mine in Namibia, Southwest Africa. It has also been found at Lavrion, Greece and Plaka, Greece as microscopic white needles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluorellestadite</span> Nesosilicate mineral

Fluorellestadite is a rare nesosilicate of calcium, with sulfate and fluorine, with the chemical formula Ca10(SiO4)3(SO4)3F2. It is a member of the apatite group, and forms a series with hydroxylellestadite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grandidierite</span>

Grandidierite is a rare mineral that was first discovered in 1902 in southern Madagascar. The mineral was named in honor of French explorer Alfred Grandidier (1836–1912) who studied the natural history of Madagascar.

Xiangjiangite is a phosphate mineral discovered near and named for the Xiang Jiang River in China. It was approved by the IMA in 1978, and was named after its locality.

Xitieshanite is a hydrous iron sulfate–chloride mineral with chemical formula: Fe3+(SO4)Cl·6(H2O).

Cattiite is a phosphate mineral. The mineral was first found in a veins of dolomite carbonatites veins at the bottom of the Zhelezny (Iron) Mine in the Kovdor massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Cattiite was tentatively identified as Mg3(PO4)2·22H2O, which as a high hydrate magnesium orthophosphate. Later structural studies, revealed the existence of two polytypes named Mg3(PO4)2·22H2O-1A1 and Mg3(PO4)2·22H2O-1A2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zellerite</span> Carbonate mineral

Zellerite is a uranium mineral, named after its discoverer, geologist Howard Davis Zeller. It has a type locality of the Lucky MC uranium mine in Wyoming, USA. It was approved by the IMA in 1965, but was first published a year after its approval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidwellite</span> Rare phosphate mineral

Kidwellite in an uncommon mineral that was discovered in Arkansas in the United States. It was approved by the IMA in 1974, but it was only named in 1978 by Moore and Ito after Albert Lewis (Laws) Kidwell.

References

  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi: 10.1180/mgm.2021.43 . S2CID   235729616.
  2. 1 2 "Phosphosiderite". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Phosphosiderite – Encyclopedia". www.le-comptoir-geologique.com. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  4. "Phosphosiderite". National Gem Lab. 18 March 2017.
  5. "Phosphosiderite Mineral Data". www.webmineral.com. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  6. 1 2 "Phosphosiderite". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  7. 1 2 "Phosphosiderite" (PDF). Handbook of Mineralogy.