Mineral Collection Research Articles

Boron in magnesium minerals of the humite group

Based on microprobe analysis and IR-spectroscopy of a representative collection of magnesium minerals of the humite group (282 samples from 80 various geological-genetic occurrences all over the world), it was shown for the first time that these minerals typically concentrate trace boron (from 0.5 to 4.9 wt % B2O3 in 63 samples). The diagnostic bands of B-O stretching vibrations in IF-spectra of magnesium minerals of the humite group occur within the 1170–1190, 1262–1289, and 1306–1331 cm−1 ranges and are regularly shifted to the low frequencies in a norbergite-chondrodite-humite-clinohumite series. Boron isomorphically replaces silicon in tetrahedra, probably, by Pertsev’s scheme: Si4+ + O2− → B3+ + (F,OH)−.

市川新松と市川鉱物研究室

Mr. Shinmatsu Ichikawa was a prominent mineralogist, although he was an ordinary citizen and not in government service. He lived from the late Meiji Period to the early Showa Period. He taught in elementary school and teacher training school despite not having a regular university education. He was self-taught in mineralogy and foreign language, and became a pioneer in the field of crystal morphology. His contributions include observations of the etched surfaces of natural minerals and of artificial etched quartz crystals and quartz spheres. He observed the etch pits, etch hillocks, growth hillocks and striations on the surfaces of several minerals found in Japan, engraved their positions, shapes and distributions on metal plates, and discussed his observations. He built the Ichikawa Mineral Laboratory in his house in 1918 to store his collection of minerals, rocks and fossils (more than 7000 specimens in all). His collection includes big quartz crystals twinned after Japan law from the Otome mine, twisted quartz from the Naegi region, amethyst crystals from Mt. Ametsuka and the Yusenji mine, natural etched minerals from various parts of Japan, and many minerals from the North America. The Laboratory is a historic cultural site in his hometown. Its preservation and enlightenment activities are cooperatively carried out by the local government and a neighborhood self-governing body.

The Bromell fossil collection at Uppsala University, Sweden: its history and the people behind it

Remains of 17th century cabinets of curiosity collections are held at the Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University, Sweden. Some of the oldest date back to the 1650s, and were included in the collection of Archiater, i.e. physician to the Crown, von Bromell (1679–1731). He is also known for publishing the first series of papers in Sweden to exclusively deal with palaeontology. Throughout his life he acquired specimens by collecting, buying or receiving in exchange to add to those he inherited from his father Olaus Bromelius, a famous botanist and physician. Information on the labels gives a glimpse of his network of friends, colleagues and fellow collectors, such as Kilian Stobaeus, Lars Roberg, Emanuel Swedenborg, Elias Brenner and Johan Döbelius. When Bromell died, his vast collections of books, coins, furniture, conchs, stuffed animals, minerals and fossils were sold off. The minerals and fossils were split up and owned by various persons during the following century. Parts owned by A. Lagerberg between the years 1746 and 1776 were bought in 1796 by Johan Afzelius and donated to Uppsala University at his death. Fossils and minerals earlier described by Bromell were in the care of The Royal Society of Science in Uppsala at least by 1791. Through the Institute of Geology, fossils accumulated over the centuries at Uppsala University eventually came together under the same roof in 1932, under professor Carl Wiman's care at the then newly erected Palaeontology museum building. Today, about 300 fossils from the Bromell collection are preserved at the museum.

The Robert Brandstetter Fluorite Collection: Warth, Austria

Fluorite collector Robert Brandstetter was born in 1967 in Neunkirchen, Austria, and started a general collection of minerals and fossils when he was only twelve years old. Living near the cosmopol...

Ultrastable neuroendocrine robot controller

The work of a simulated neuroendocrine controller with ultrastable neurons and glands is sketched and tested in terms of stability and adaptability. The artificial neurons connect to each other and to motors, while hormones produced by behaviour-related glands regulate their output. The ultrastable nature of the cells allows them to maintain their homeostasis by random reconfiguration of their connections and parameters without reference to the global goal of the system. Interactions of these ultrastable components cause individual robot behaviours to emerge to certain extents. The presented results show that the controller as a whole is capable of not only configuring itself to perform random walk, obstacle avoidance, mineral collection and recharging, but also to stay robust or adapt to a number of environmental and body perturbations without a need for a body model.

The Great Contrarian: John Ruskin

John Ruskin (1819–1900) occupies an interesting position on the map of scholarship. He was essentially a critic who became an undisputed opinion leader in matters of art and architecture in his time. He was nearly forgotten for several decades. Only toward the end of the 20th century did his contribution begin to be reevaluated. Ruskin was born in London and studied in Oxford from 1836 to 1842, but he did not obtain a degree (1–3). Throughout his life, Ruskin traveled extensively in Britain and on the continent, particularly in Italy, France, and Switzerland. He became the most prominent art and architecture critic in England. He was fascinated by architecture and nature, and he studied both. Ruskin was as much interested in buildings as he was in geology, and he accumulated a large collection of minerals. The biography by Tim Hilton provides a captivating account of his life (2, 3). Ruskin wrote widely on nature, art, and society, and his books brought him early national fame. He published The Seven Lamps of Architecture in 1849 and The Stones of Venice between 1851 and 1853. Between 1843 and 1860, he wrote 5 volumes of Modern Painters . In the first volume, Ruskin championed the painter J.M.W. Turner (4). He later …

The sulfite anion in ettringite-group minerals: a new mineral species hielscherite, Ca3Si(OH)6(SO4)(SO3)·11H2O, and the thaumasite–hielscherite solid-solution series

AbstractHielscherite, ideally Ca3Si(OH)6(SO4)(SO3)·11H2O, (IMA 2011-037) is the first ettringite-group mineral with essential sulfite. We have identified a continuous natural solid-solution series from endmember thaumasite, Ca3Si(OH)6(SO4)(CO3)·12H2O, to a composition with at least 77 mol.% endmember hielscherite. In this series, the SO3:CO3 ratio is variable, whereas the SO4 content remains constant. Compositions with more than 50 mol.% endmember hielscherite have only been found at Graulay quarry near Hillesheim in the western Eifel Mountains, Rhineland-Palatinate, where they occur with phillipsite-K, chabazite-Ca and gypsum in cavities in alkaline basalt. Sulfite-rich thaumasite has been found in hydrothermal assemblages in young alkaline basalts in two volcanic regions of Germany: it is widespread at Graulay quarry and occurs at Rother Kopf, Schellkopf and Bellerberg quarries in Eifel district; it has also been found at Zeilberg quarry, Franconia, Bavaria. Hielscherite forms matted fibrous aggregates up to 1 cm across and groups of acicular to prismatic hexagonal crystals up to 0.3 × 0.3 × 1.5 mm. Individual crystals are colourless and transparent with a vitreous lustre and crystal aggregates are white with a silky lustre. The Mohs hardness is 2–2½. Measured and calculated densities are Dmeas = 1.82(3) and Dcalc = 1.79 g cm–3. Hielscherite is optically uniaxial (–), ω = 1.494(2), ε = 1.476(2). The mean chemical composition of holotype material (determined by electron microprobe for Ca, Al, Si, and S and gas chromatography for C, H and N, with the S4+:S6+ ratio from the crystal-structure data) is CaO 27.15, Al2O3 2.33, SiO2 7.04, CO2 2.71, SO2 6.40, SO3 12.91, N2O5 0.42, H2O 39.22, total 98.18 wt.%. The empirical formula on the basis of 3 Ca atoms per formula unit is Ca3(Si0.73Al0.28)Σ1.01(OH)5.71(SO4)1.00(SO3)0.62(CO3)0.38(NO3)0.05·10.63H2O. The presence of sulfite was confirmed by crystal-structure analysis and infrared and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectra. The crystal structure of sulfite-rich thaumasite from Zeilberg quarry was solved by direct methods based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data (R1 = 0.064). The structure of hielscherite was refined using the Rietveld method (Rwp = 0.0317). Hielscherite is hexagonal, P63, a = 11.1178(2), c = 10.5381(2) Å, V = 1128.06(4) Å3 and Z = 2. The strongest reflections in the X-ray powder pattern [(d, Å (I)(hkl)] are: 9.62(100)(010,100); 5.551(50)(110); 4.616(37)(012,102); 3.823(64)(112); 3.436(25)(211), 2.742(38)(032,302), 2.528(37)(123,213), 2.180(35)(042,402;223). In both hielscherite and sulfite-rich thaumasite, pyramidal sulfite groups occupy the same site as trigonal carbonate groups, with analogous O sites, whereas tetrahedral sulfate groups occupy separate positions. Hielscherite is named in honour of the German mineral collector Klaus Hielscher (b. 1957).

The Mineral Collection of Desmond Sacco, Johannesburg, South Africa

10.1080/00357529.2012.708615-F0001 Figure 1. Desmond and Angela Sacco in his collection room, December 2011. Desmond Sacco has one of the finest collections of southern African minerals in the worl...

Raman and infrared spectroscopic characterization of beryllonite, a sodium and beryllium phosphate mineral – implications for mineral collectors

The mineral beryllonite has been characterized by the combination of Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy. SEM–EDX was used for the chemical analysis of the mineral. The intense sharp Raman band at 1011cm−1, was assigned to the phosphate symmetric stretching mode. Raman bands at 1046, 1053, 1068 and the low intensity bands at 1147, 1160 and 1175cm−1 are attributed to the phosphate antisymmetric stretching vibrations. The number of bands in the antisymmetric stretching region supports the concept of symmetry reduction of the phosphate anion in the beryllonite structure. This concept is supported by the number of bands found in the out-of-plane bending region. Multiple bands are also found in the in-plane bending region with Raman bands at 399, 418, 431 and 466cm−1. Strong Raman bands at 304 and 354cm−1 are attributed to metal oxygen vibrations. Vibrational spectroscopy served to determine the molecular structure of the mineral. The pegmatitic phosphate minerals such as beryllonite are more readily studied by Raman spectroscopy than infrared spectroscopy.

Rice hull as a renewable raw material and its processing routes

It was shown that rice hull has a unique composition and can be used as a renewable raw material. A method for rice hull conversion into polyfunctional materials was proposed, which gives a solid product, a liquid organic product, and a mixture of noncondensable gases. The solid product is suitable as a filler for elastomers, fodder supplement for farm poultry, and sorbent for noble and rare metal recovery. The liquid product acts as a highly selective collector of lead minerals in beneficiation of complex rebellious ores, plant growth stimulant, and antiseptic agent. The mixture of noncondensable gases can be used for carbon black production or as a high-calorific fuel.

Synthesis of a spinifex‐textured basalt as an analog to Gusev crater basalts, Mars

Abstract– Analyses by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Spirit, of Martian basalts from Gusev crater show that they are chemically very different from terrestrial basalts, being characterized in particular by high Mg‐ and Fe‐contents. To provide suitable analog basalts for the International Space Analogue Rockstore (ISAR), a collection of analog rocks and minerals for preparing in situ space missions, especially, the upcoming Mars mission MSL‐2011 and the future international Mars‐2018 mission, it is necessary to synthesize Martian basalts. The aim of this study was therefore to synthesize Martian basalt analogs to the Gusev crater basalts, based on the geochemical data from the MER rover Spirit. We present the results of two experiments, one producing a quench‐cooled basalt (<1 h) and one producing a more slowly cooled basalt (1 day). Pyroxene and olivine textures produced in the more slowly cooled basalt were surprisingly similar to spinifex textures in komatiites, a volcanic rock type very common on the early Earth. These kinds of ultramafic rocks and their associated alteration products may have important astrobiological implications when associated with aqueous environments. Such rocks could provide habitats for chemolithotrophic microorganisms, while the glass and phyllosilicate derivatives can fix organic compounds.

Book review: The palm book

news and update ISSN 1948‐6596 book review The palm book The Book of Palms, by Carl Friedrich Phillip von Martius [a reprint of the 240 illustrations from C. F. P. von Martius’ Historia Naturalis Palmarum, published in installments between 1823 and 1850, with an introduction by H. Walter Lack] 2009, Taschen, 442 pp. ISBN: 978‐3‐8365‐1779‐9 Price: £99.99 (Hardback); http://www.taschen.com/ This is a magnificent reprint of one of the most influential books in the botanical literature, Mar‐ tius’ Historia Naturalis Palmarum, famed for its scientific accuracy and aesthetic qualities. Carl Friedrich Phillip von Martius (1795–1868) was an assistant at the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sci‐ ences when in 1817, aged 22, he was asked by Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria, to join an expedition that was sent to Brazil by Franz I, Em‐ peror of Austria. The expedition was held on the occasion of the marriage of Franz I’s daughter Leo‐ poldine to Dom Pedro, eldest son of Joao VI, King of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarve. The wedding was celebrated in Vienna on 13th May 1817, but later confirmed in Rio de Janeiro, and the 13‐man natural history expedition was organized to foster relationships and increase trade between Brazil and the European kingdoms with interest in these new frontiers. The celebration in Rio was held on 6 November 1817, and following that, Martius and his zoological companion Johan Baptiste Spix set out on a 2200 km long journey to the interior of Brazil. During the journey they amassed large quantities of natural history specimens, and when Martius returned to Munich on 8th December 1820, almost four years had passed. Martius and Spix had brought back considerable collections of rocks and minerals, 350 species of birds, 130 am‐ phibians, 116 fish, 2700 insects, 80 arachnids, 50 crustaceans and 6500 plants. The other members of the expedition had returned similar quantities to Vienna and other European museums. Apparently being a natural historian and collector at that time was something important to the political powers. King Maximilian I Joseph made Martius and Spix Knights of the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown. Aged 26 Martius was elected a full member of the Royal Bavarian Acad‐ emy of Sciences. At age 31 in 1826 Ludvig I, King of Bavaria, made Martius full professor at the Uni‐ versity of Landshut. In 1832 he became senior cu‐ rator of the Botanical Institute, and in 1840 he was elected secretary of the Mathematics and Science section of the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences, a post which he had until his death in From this background it is perhaps easier to understand how Martius could publish such a magnificent work on his collections from Brazil. Actually he worked on three large book projects simultaneously. One was a general account of the expedition which was published as Reise in Brasil‐ ien in den Jahren 1817–1820 and published 1823– 1831. The other was Nova genera et species plan‐ tarum quas in itinere per Brasilian annis 1817– 1820 ‐‐‐ suscepto colegit et descripsit, published 1823–1826, which was a technical description of all the plants – except palms – that Martius had collected during his travels. Finally the third book project that Martius embarked on during his ten‐ ure at the Bavaria academic establishment was Historia naturalis palmarum, the illustrations of which are featured in the book reviewed here. The finished version of Historia naturalis palmarum was made up of three volumes. But the volumes did not appear chronologically. Instead they were released in fascicles at irregular inter‐ vals. The first fascicles to appear in 1823 were from volume 2 on the American palms, and this volume was completed in 1837. This was followed by volume 3 which was completed in 1853. Vol‐ ume 1 began to appear in 1831 and was com‐ pleted in 1853. The publication was printed at the author’s expense, and to finance that, Martius had secured that it could be sold through subscription. Those who subscribed appear on a page in the 2nd volume and include several central European royalties, and some of the famous cultural leaders © 2011 the authors; journal compilation © 2011 The International Biogeography Society — frontiers of biogeography 3.2, 2011

The interaction of the flotation reagent, n-octanohydroxamate, with sulfide minerals

We have utilized electrochemistry, vibrational spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the interaction of KH n-octanohydroxamate with the sulfide minerals chalcocite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, covellite and bornite. Each of these techniques showed that a multilayer of cupric hydroxamate formed on chalcocite, bornite and chalcopyrite conditioned in the hydroxamate collector, and visual inspection revealed that this multilayer had rendered the mineral hydrophobic. Hydroxamate adsorbed to Fe atoms, co-adsorbed hydroxamic acid and some ferric hydroxamate were also observed on the ternary sulfides. Only limited adsorption of collector was observed on pyrite fracture surfaces, unlike abraded surfaces which were rendered hydrophobic by significant adsorption. These results have implications in the use of hydroxamates for the flotation of mixed sulfide–oxide and transitional ores, including the possible collection of gangue minerals in the concentrate.

Stone foreign body—radiographic and CT appearance

Mineral foreign bodies (stones) are infrequent findings in clinical and radiological practice. However, a growing number of reports indicate that they raise clinical and diagnostic concern in ophthalmology, neurosurgery, maxillofacial surgery, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, and vascular surgery. Dense finding in the soft tissue without clear history of foreign body penetration may represent diagnostic challenge mimicking calcifications or bony fragments. The aim of this work is to analyze the appearance of stone foreign bodies on radiographs and computed tomography. A collection of minerals and rocks was used for analysis. The clinical case of a stony foreign body which penetrated into the soft tissue of the leg is used to demonstrate the diagnostic challenge and management. Available literature describing imaging characteristics of stones was reviewed. The results of this work will help in diagnostic interpretation and assessment of stone foreign body composition.

POSTITE, Mg(H2O)6Al2(OH)2(H2O)8(V10O28){middle dot}13H2O, A NEW MINERAL SPECIES FROM THE LA SAL MINING DISTRICT, UTAH: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AND DESCRIPTIVE MINERALOGY

Postite, Mg(H 2 O) 6 Al 2 (OH) 2 (H 2 O) 8 (V 10 O 28 )·13H 2 O, is a new mineral species from the Vanadium Queen mine, La Sal Creek Canyon, and the Blue Cap mine, Lyon Canyon Creek, San Juan County, Utah, U.S.A. Postite occurs as very thin, needle-like prisms with pyramidal terminations; crystals commonly occur in parallel bundles and grow in divergent and “jackstraw” masses. Individual crystals are up to 1 mm long and 50 μm in diameter, and are golden-yellow with a yellow streak. The mineral is transparent, with a subadamantine luster; it does not fluoresce in short- or long-wave ultraviolet radiation. Postite has a Mohs hardness of approximately 2 and brittle tenacity. The mineral has one good cleavage on {001} and at least two perfect cleavages parallel to [001], possibly {100} and {010}. The fracture is splintery. The density calculated from the empirical formula using the single-crystal cell data is 2.226 g/cm 3 . Postite is biaxial (+) with a 2 V angle of 71o. Indices of refraction for postite are α 1.727(3), β 1.733(3), and γ1.745(3). The optical orientation is X = c , Y = b , Z = a . Dispersion was not observed and pleochroism was not perceptible. Electron probe microanalysis and the crystal structure solution gave the empirical formula (Mg 0.97 Na 0.06 Ca 0.04 Sr 0.01 K 0.01 ) ∑1.09 Al 1.94 [(OH) 1.92 (H 2 O) 0.08 ] ‡”2.00 (V 10 O 28 )·27H 2 O. The simplified structural formula of postite is Mg(H 2 O) 6 Al 2 (OH) 2 (H 2 O) 8 (V 10 O 28 ) ·13H 2 O. Postite is orthorhombic, Pccn , with a 16.3357(6), b 24.2434(17), c 11.7343(4) A, V 4647.2(4) A 3 , and Z = 4. The strongest four lines in the diffraction pattern are [ d in A(I)( hkl )]: 8.937(100)(111), 12.190(90)(020), 3.771(24)(113), and 8.248(22)(200). The atomic arrangement of postite was solved and refined to R 1 = 0.0358. The structural unit is a decavanadate polyanion, [V 10 O 28 ] 6− ; charge balance in the structure is maintained by the [Mg(H 2 O) 6 Al 2 (OH) 2 (H 2 O) 8 ·13 H 2 O] 6+ interstitial unit. The interstitial unit consists of a [Mg(H 2 O) 6 ] 2+ monomer, an [Al 2 (OH) 2 (H 2 O) 8 ] 4+ edge-sharing dimer, and thirteen additional H 2 O molecules. The linkage between the structural unit and the interstitial unit results from hydrogen bonding between oxygen atoms of the structural unit with hydrogen atoms of the [Al 2 (OH) 2 (H 2 O) 8 ] 4+ edge-sharing dimer and those of isolated H 2 O molecules. The new mineral is named in honor of Dr. Jeffrey E. Post (b. 1954), Curator-in-Charge of the National Gem and Mineral Collection, U. S. National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution).

Laboratory far-infrared spectroscopy of terrestrial sulphides to support analysis of cosmic dust spectra

As an aid in interpreting data from space far-infrared (far-IR) missions, such as the Herschel Space Observatory with its Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer, this paper presents spectroscopic studies of selected naturally occurring terrestrial sulphide minerals in the wavelength range 15–250 μm. The data can also be used to support the return from other, both past and planned, IR space missions, such as the Infrared Space Observatory, Spitzer, SOFIA, SPiCA and Millimetron. In this study, we present far-IR spectra for 11 natural sulphide minerals in the form of dispersed powders of micron particle dimensions. Samples of various sulphides from the American Museum of Natural History mineral collection were selected based on criteria of diversity and potential astrophysical relevancy, based on their identification in Stardust, in stratospheric interplanetary dust particle samples, or in meteorites. Mineral species include digenite, galena, alabandite, sphalerite, wurtzite, covellite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite and stibnite. Most of the sulphides examined possess prominent and characteristic features in the far-IR range. Spectra obtained are compared to those available from previous studies. Far-IR peak frequencies and mass absorption coefficient values are tabulated. Effects of particle size distribution, low temperature, and provenance on IR spectra are demonstrated for selected samples.

Habitability: Where to look for life? Halophilic habitats: Earth analogs to study Mars habitability

Oxidative stress, high radiation doses, low temperature and pressure are parameters which made Mars's surface adverse for life. Those conditions found on Mars surface are harsh conditions for life to deal with. Life, as we know it on Earth, needs several requirements for its establishment but, the only “sine qua nom” element is water. Extremophilic microorganisms widened the window of possibilities for life to develop in the universe, and as a consequence on Mars. Recently reported results in extreme environments indicate the possibility of presence of “oasys” for life in microniches due to water deliquescence in salts deposits. The compilation of data produced by the ongoing missions (Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express and Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity) offers a completely different view from that reported by Viking missions: signs of an early wet Mars and rather recent volcanic activity. The discovery of important accumulations of sulfates, and the existence of iron minerals like jarosite, goethite and hematite in rocks of sedimentary origin has allowed specific terrestrial models related with this type of mineralogy to come into focus. Río Tinto (Southwestern Spain, Iberian Pyritic Belt) is an extreme acidic environment, product of the chemolithotrophic activity of microorganisms that thrive in the massive pyrite-rich deposits of the Iberian Pyritic Belt. The high concentration of ferric iron and sulfates, products of the metabolism of pyrite, generate a collection of minerals, mainly gypsum, jarosite, goethite and hematites, all of which have been detected in different regions of Mars. Some particular protective environments or elements could house organic molecules or the first bacterial life forms on Mars surface. Terrestrial analogs could help us to afford its comprehension.We are reporting here some preliminary studies about endolithic niches inside salt deposits used by phototrophs for taking advantage of sheltering particular light wavelengths. These acidic salts deposits located in Río Tinto shelter life forms which are difficult to localize by eye. Techniques for its localization and study during space missions are needed to develop. Extreme environments are good scenarios where to test and train those techniques and where hypothetical astrobiological space missions could be simulated for increasing possibilities of micro niches identification.

MEMORIAL TO LUKAS HOTTINGER (1933-2011)

Lukas Hottinger, micropaleontologist and longtime professor for geology and paleontology at the University of Basel passed away peacefully on September 4, 2011 in Allschwil, Switzerland. He was born in Dusseldorf (Germany) on February 25, 1933, into a family of medical doctors as son of Prof. Adolf Hottinger, pediatrist, and Dr. Greta Hottinger-Cahn, a chemist of Swiss nationality. Because of Nazi oppression, the family decided early to move back to Allschwil, Switzerland. Lukas attended primary and secondary school in Basel with summer courses in Neuchâtel (Switzerland) and Exeter (England). In 1952, he received his Matura (university entrance qualification) from the Humanistische Gymnasium (classical Greek and Latin). His early interest in fossils and geology was awakened by an uncle, who offered him his fossil and mineral collection without labels, obviously requiring some detective work. A few years later, his father handed Lukas a letter of recommendation to introduce him to August Buxtorf, an oil geologist and later professor and head of the Geological and Paleontological Institute in Basel. Buxtorf, sitting behind the typical large and heavy dark desk of a professor of that time, welcomed Lukas by reciting the famous poem of Oswald Heer on Miocene fossils from Oeningen—an experience that Lukas described as his first contact with fossil communities and their significance. This attracted his interest in earth sciences and in 1952 he entered the University of Basel to study geology and paleontology with additional courses in zoology, comparative anatomy, botany, and marine biology. For him, the study of earth sciences opened up the potential to travel and explore the world. In 1956, his future doctoral advisor, professor Manfred Reichel, offered him a thesis topic where he was asked to develop a high-resolution biostratigraphy for species of the larger benthic foraminiferal genus Alveolina by means of biometry. At this time, the …

Klajite from Recsk (Hungary), the first Mn-Cu arsenate mineral

Klajite (IMA no. 2010-004) was found in ore samples from the Lahoca Hill, Recsk, Matra Mountains (northern Hungary). It belongs to the Lahoca epithermal high-sulphidation Cu-Au-As ore deposit, a classical occurrence of enargite. The primary ore consists of enargite, luzonite, pyrite, tennantite, chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite. Klajite occurs in the cavities of enargite and quartz, in close association with other secondary minerals: gypsum, jarosite, and an unknown Ca-Cu arsenate. Klajite is a secondary mineral formed by the decomposition of enargite. It forms irregular or sheaf-like aggregates, up to 0.5 mm in diameter, made up of lath-like to thin tabular crystals, typically 0.05–0.2 mm in length. The mineral is translucent, greenish yellow to yellowish green in colour with white streak and vitreous lustre. Its Mohs hardness is about 2–3, the calculated density is 3.213 g/cm 3 . Klajite has a perfect cleavage parallel to {010}, and is extremely brittle; the fracture is uneven. Optically it is biaxial negative or positive with α = 1.595(30), β = n.d. and γ= 1.665(20). It is weakly pleochroic, from colourless to pale green. The chemical composition obtained after correction of electron-microprobe analysis is: MnO 5.67, CuO 32.03, CaO 0.41, As 2 O 5 44.40, H 2 O (calc.) 17.49, total 100.00 wt%. The empirical formula is (Mn 0.82 Cu 0.10 Ca 0.08) ∑ = 1.00 Cu 4.05 As 3.98 O 14 (OH) 2 · 9H 2 O, and the simplified formula is MnCu 4 (AsO 4 ) 2 (AsO 3 OH) 2 · 9H 2 O. The strongest seven lines in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [ d hkl in A( I obs %, hkl )] 10.39 (100, 001), 2.916 (64, 202), 2.708 (29, 13), 3.616 (28, 021), 3.050 (28, 022 and 211), 3.956 (27, 020) and 3.110 (24, 122). According to X-ray powder diffraction, klajite is structurally analogous to lindackerite-group minerals; it is triclinic, space group P 1, a = 6.441(3), b = 7.983(4), c = 10.562(3) A, α = 85.28(4)°, β = 80.63(5)°, γ = 84.80(4)°, V = 532.4(3) A 3 , Z = 1. Klajite is named after Sandor Klaj (bom. 1948), a Hungarian mineral collector.

Schüllerite, Ba2Na(Mn,Ca)(Fe3+,Mg,Fe2+)2Ti2(Si2O7)2(O,F)4, a new mineral species from the Eifel volcanic district, Germany

A new heterophyllosilicate mineral schullerite was found in the Lohley basalt quarry in the Eifel volcanic region, Germany, as a member of the late mineral assemblage comprising nepheline, leucite, augite, phlogopite, magnetite, titanite, fresnoite, barytolamprophyllite, fluorapatite, perovskite, and pyrochlore. Flattened brown crystals of schullerite up to 0.5 × 1 × 2 mm in size and their aggregates occur in miarolic cavities of alkali basalt. The mineral is brittle, with a Mohs hardness 3–4 and perfect cleavage parallel to (001). D calc = 3.974 g/cm3. Its IR spectrum is individual and does not contain bands of OH−, CO 3 2− or H2O. Schullerite is biaxial (−), α = 1.756(3), β = 1.773(4), γ = 1.780(4), 2V meas = 40(20)°. Dispersion is weak, r Y > Z, brown to dark brown. Chemical composition (electron microprobe, mean of five-point analyses, Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio determined by the X-ray emission spectroscopic data, wt %): 3.55 Na2O, 0.55 K2O, 3.89 MgO, 2.62 CaO, 1.99 ArO, 28.09 BaO, 3.43 FeO, 8.89 Fe2O3, 1.33 Al2O3, 11.17 TiO2, 2.45 Nb2O5, 26.12 SiO2, 2.12 F, −0.89 -O=F2, 98.98 in total. The empirical formula is (Ba1.68Sr0.18K0.11Na1.05Ca0.43Mn0.47Mg0.88Fe 0.44 2+ Fe 1.02 3+ Ti1.28Nb0.17Al0.24)Σ7.95Si3.98O16.98F1.02. The crystal structure was refined on a single crystal. Schullerite is triclinic, space group P1, unit cell parameters: a = 5.4027(1), b = 7.066(4), c = 10.2178(1)A, α = 99.816(1), β = 99.624(1), γ = 90.084(1)°, V = 378.75(2) A3, Z = 1. The strongest lines of the X-ray powder diffraction pattern [d, A, (I, %)]: 9.96(29), 3.308(45), 3.203(29), 2.867(29), 2.791(100), 2.664(46), 2.609(36), 2.144(52). The mineral was named in honor of Willi Schuller (born 1953), an enthusiastic, prominent amateur mineral collector, and a specialist in the mineralogy of Eifel. Type specimens have been deposited at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, registration no. 3995/1,2.