Georgbarsanovite is a very rare mineral of the
eudialyte group
Eudialyte group is a group of complex trigonal zircono- and, more rarely, titanosilicate minerals with general formula (1)N(2)N(3)N(4)N(5)sub>3 (1a)M(1b)sub>3M(2)3M(4)Z3 i24O72'4X2, where N(1) and N(2) and N(3) and N(5) = Na+ and more rarely H3 ...
,
[Mindat, http://www.mindat.org/min-27506.html] formerly known under unaccepted name as barsanovite, with formula .
[Khomyakov, A.P., Nechelyustov, G.N., Ekimenkova, I.A., and Rastsvetayeva, R.K., 2005. Georgbarsanovite, , a mineral species of the eudialyte group: revalidation of barsanovite and the new name of the mineral. Zapiski Rossiyskogo Mineralogicheskogo
Obshchestva 134(6), 47-57 (in Russian, with English abstract)] The original formula was extended to show the presence of cyclic silicate groups and the domination of silicon at the M4 site.
[Johnsen, O., Ferraris, G., Gault, R.A., Grice, D.G., Kampf, A.R., and Pekov, I.V., 2003. The nomenclature of eudialyte-group minerals. The Canadian Mineralogist 41, 785-794] "REE", standing for
rare earth elements
The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or (in context) rare-earth oxides or sometimes the lanthanides (yttrium and scandium are usually included as rare earths), are a set of 17 nearly-indistinguishable lustrous silve ...
, is dominated by
cerium
Cerium is a chemical element with the symbol Ce and atomic number 58. Cerium is a soft, ductile, and silvery-white metal that tarnishes when exposed to air. Cerium is the second element in the lanthanide series, and while it often shows the +3 o ...
. Georgbarsanovite is characterized in dominance of manganese at the N4 site.
It also differs from most other accepted group representatives in its colour. The mineral was found in
nepheline
Nepheline, also called nephelite (), is a rock-forming mineral in the feldspathoid groupa silica-undersaturated aluminosilicate, Na3 K Al4 Si4 O16, that occurs in intrusive and volcanic rocks with low silica, and in their associated pegmatites ...
pegmatite
A pegmatite is an igneous rock showing a very coarse texture, with large interlocking crystals usually greater in size than and sometimes greater than . Most pegmatites are composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, having a similar silicic com ...
near Petrelius River,
Khibiny massif
The Khibiny Mountains (russian: Хиби́ны ; sjd, Umptek) is one of the two main mountain ranges of the Kola Peninsula, Russia, within the Arctic Circle, located between Imandra and Umbozero lakes. The range is also known as Khibiny Massif, K ...
, Kola Peninsula, Russia.
It is named after Russian mineralogist Georg Barsanov.
Notes on chemistry
Georgbarsanovite contains admixtures of
fluorine
Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...
,
potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K (from Neo-Latin ''kalium'') and atomic number19. Potassium is a silvery-white metal that is soft enough to be cut with a knife with little force. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmosphe ...
and
yttrium, with traces of
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...
,
hafnium
Hafnium is a chemical element with the symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirconium minerals. Its existence was predicted by Dmitri M ...
, and
barium
Barium is a chemical element with the symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is the fifth element in group 2 and is a soft, silvery alkaline earth metal. Because of its high chemical reactivity, barium is never found in nature as a free element.
Th ...
.
References
Cyclosilicates
Sodium minerals
Manganese minerals
Calcium minerals
Iron(II) minerals
Zirconium minerals
Niobium minerals
Trigonal minerals
Minerals in space group 160
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