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New Minerals for Arizona: 1995-2002
Since the publication of the 3rd Edition of the Mineralogy of
Arizona, thirty-seven new mineral occurences in Arizona have been
reported. The following list, which was compiled by Dr. Raymond
Grant, provides a brief summary of these occurences. The list
first appeared in the Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Minerals of Arizona
Symposium.
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ANILITE
Copper sulfide, Cu7S4. A primary or supergene copper sulfide foune with other copper sulfides.
Greenlee County: found in the supergene alteration zone at Morenci with pyrite and chalcopyrite (M.S. Enders, Phelps Dodge Corp., personal communication 2001).
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ANNABERGITE
Nickel arsenate hydrate, Ni3(AsO4)2·8H2O. It is a rare secondary nicket mineral formed by oxidation of primary nickel and arsenic minerals in hydrothermal deposits.
Yavapai County: Monte Cristo mine as as alteration of nickeline and skutterudite (Bastin, 1922).
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BECHERERITE
Zinc copper hydroxide sulfate silicate, (Zn,Cu)6Zn2(OH)13[(S,Si)(O,OH)4]2. Found as a secondary mineral from the oxidized zone of a base-metal deposit. The Arizona occurence is the type locality.
Maricopa County: found on the dumps of the Tonopah-Belmont mine with willemite, rosasite, smithsonite, paratacamite, and boleite (Giester and Rieck, 1996).
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BRUSHITE
Calcium hydrogen phosphate hydrate, CaHPO4·2H2O. Found as a cave mineral forming from organic material such as bat guano.
Cochise County: found at Kartchner Caverns south of Benson. In the Big Room it forms large masses over 2 m long, 0.3 m wide and 6 cm thick. It is forming from solutions beneath a fresh bat guano pile (Hill, 1999).
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CALCIOARAVAIPAITE
Lead calcium aluminum fluoride hydroxide, PbCa2Al(F,OH)9. A secondary mineral found with other lead and aluminum fluorides, sulfates and hydroxides. The Arizona occurrence is the type locality.
Graham County: found at the Grand Reef mine on a single specimen in a quartz vug with artroeite and anglesite (Kampf and Foord, 1996).
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CARMICHAELITE
Titanium chromium iron oxide hydroxide, (Ti,Cr,Fe)O2-x(OH)x. Found as inclusions in pyrope from an ultramafic diatreme. Garnet Ridge, Arizona is the type locality.
Apache County: from an ultramafic diatreme at Garnet Ridge on the Navajo Reservation. It occurs as inclusions in pyrope crystals collected from surface concentrates. These pyropes also contain rutile, srilankite, spinel, minerals of the crichtonite group and olivine (Wang et al., 2000).
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CUPROCOPIAPITE
Copper iron sulfate hydroxide hydrate, CuFe4(SO4)6(OH)2·20H2O. A secondary mineral formed from the oxidation of sulfides.
Cochise County: Warren district, 1800 level of the Junction mine, where it was found as a minor constituent of post mining crusts with rhomboclase, copiapite and other sulfates (R.W. Graeme, personal communication 1999).
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FERROHEXAHYDRITE
Iron sulfate hydrate, FeSO4·6H2O. A reare mineral fomed at volcanic fumaroles.
Coconino County: found at Sunset Crater as a fumarole deposit. It occurs as a white powder with pickeringite locally coating some of the cinders (Hanson et al., 2000).>
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GLUSHINSKITE
Magnesium oxalate hydrate, Mg(C2O4)·2H2O. Found associated with decaying organic material.
Maricopa County: found in decaying saguaro cacti in the Gila Bend Mountains (Garvie and Busek, 1999).
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GORDAITE
Sodium zinc sulfate chloride hydroxide hydrate, NaZn4(SO4)(OH)6Cl·6H2O. Found in the oxidized zone of hydrothermal deposits. The Arizona locality is the second in the world.
Yavapai County: found at an unspecified locality in San Miguel Wash. It forms a white crust with thenardite in a calcite matrix (Vajdak, 2002).
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HOPEITE
Zinc phosphate hydrate, Zn3(PO4)2·4H2O. A secondary mineral found in hydrothermal zinc deposits.
Graham County: found at the Iron Cap mine as white botryoidal masses with manganaxinite, hedenbergite, and chlinochrysotile (Vajdak, 1995).
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HYDROHONESSITE
Nikcel iron sulfate hydroxide hydrate, Ni6Fe23+(SO4)(OH)16·7H2O. Occurs as a secondary incrustation on primary nickel ores.
Coconino County: from a shallow open cut 8 miles ESE of Gray Mountain. It is found as a post-mine incrustation on the walls of a uranium prospect (Willams and Cesbron, 1995).
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JACOBSITE
Manganese iron magnesium oxide, (Mn2+,Fe2+,Mg)(Fe3+,Mn3+)2O4. A rare hypogene mineral found with other manganese oxides.
Cochise County: Number 4 claim, Warren district. Found in a small manganese deposit that was largely braunite with crypotomelane veins in the surrounding limestone. The jacobsite is included as 5mm blebs in the cryptomelane (R. W. Graeme, personal communication 1999).
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KAMITUGAITE
Lead aluminium uranyl phosphate arsenate hydroxide hydrate, PbAl(UO2)5[(P,As)O4]2(OH)9·9.5H2O. A very rare secondary uranium mineral. The Arizona locality is the second in the world.
Maricopa County: From the Tiger Wash area of the Buckhorn Mountains associated with wickenburgite, mimetite and quartz (Vajdak, 2002).
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KIESERITE
Magnesium sulfate hydrate, MgSO4·5H2O. Found commonly in evaporite deposits.
Coconino County: found as an efflorescent mineral in the Grand Canyon (Quick et al, 1989).
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LANDSFORDITE
Magnesium carbonate hydrate, MgCO3·5H2O. An alteration mineral usually fomed in coal mines and in serpentine masses.
Maricopa County: formed from the weathering of weddellite and whewellite in decaying saguaro cacti in the Gila Bend Mountains (Garvie and Busek, 1999).
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LIROCONITE
Copper aluminum arsenate hydroxide hydrate, Cu2Al(AsO44·4H2O. A rare secondary mineral found in the oxide zone of copper deposits.
Cochise County: Lavender pit, Holbrook Extension, Warren district. Found as tabular bright blue crystals up to 2 mm on chrysocolla (R. W. Graeme, personal communication, 1999).
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MEIONITE
Calcium aluminum silicate carbonate, 3CaAl2Si2O8·CaCO3. A member of the scapolite group found mainly in metamorphic rocks.
Cochise County: 500 level of the Holbrook mine, Warren district. Found in altered Abrigo Limestone with tremolite and wollastonite (J.B. Tenney, 1913). It is almost certain the species noted is meionite (R. W. Graeme, personal communication, 1999).
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MONOHYDROCALCITE
Calcium carbonate hydrate, CaCO3·H2O. An unstable mineral formed in sediments and from decaying vegatation.
Maricopa County: formed from the weathering of weddellite and whewellite in decaying saguaro cacti in the Gila Bend Mountains (Garvie and Busek, 1999).
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MONTANITE
Bismuth tellurium oxide hydrate, Bi2Te6+O6·2H2O. Formed from the aleration of earlier tellurium sulfides.
Cochise County: Little Joe shaft, Tombstone district. Present as brown massive fine-grained material that appears to be pseudomorphs after a prismatic mineral. Occurs with mixite in altered rhyodacite.
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NAMIBITE
Copper bismuthyl vandadate hyrdroxide, Cu(BiO)2VO4(OH). Found as a rare secondary mineral in hydrothermal deposits.
Yavapai County: found at a small prospect near Copperopolis with beyerite and duhamelite (Joe Ruiz, personal communication 2001).
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NATRODUFRENITE
Sodium iron aluminum phosphate hydroxide hydrate, Na(Fe3+,Fe2+)(Fe3+,Al)5(PO4)4(OH)6·2H2O. Found as a rare secondary mineral.
Graham County: Lone Star deposit, Safford district. Found in drill core as warty deep green to black crusts on open fracture surfaces with apatite, calcite, and stilbite.
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NESQUEHONITE
Magnesium bicarbonate hydroxide hydrate, Mg(HCO3)(OH)·2H2O. An alteration mineral usually formed in coal mines and in serpentine masses.
Maricopa County: formed from the weathering of weddellite and whewellite in decaying saguaro cacti in the Gila Bend Mountains (Garvie and Busek, 1999).
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NICKEL-BOUSSINGALTITE
Ammonium nickel magnesium sulfate hydrate, (NH4)2(Ni,Mg)(SO4)2·6H2O. A rare secondary nickel mineral.
Coconino County: from a shallow open cut 8 miles ESE of Gray Mountain. It is found as a post-mine incrustation with hydrohonessite (Williams and Cesbron, 1995).
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ORTHOSERPIERITE
Calcium copper zinc sulfate hydroxide hydrate, Ca(Cu,Zn)4(SO4)2(OH)6·3H2O. Forms as a post-mining mineral.
Pinal County: formed from a surface seep about 50 meters from the adit of the Childs-Aldwinkle mine, Copper Creek district (Shannon, 1996).
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PARACOQUIMBITE
Iron sulfate hydrate, Fe2(SO4)3·9H2O. A rare post-mining mineral.
Cochise County: Warren district, in the Campbell mine, as small, bright, pale violet crystals with coquimbite, voltaite, rhomboclase and copiapite from the Higgins mine, 100 level as violet scepter growths to 0.5 mm in size with coquimbite and halotrichite (R. W. Graeme, personal communication 1999).
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PENTAHYDRITE
Magnesium sulfate hydrate, MgSO4·5H2O. Occurs with efflorescent salts.
Coconino County: found as an efflorescent mineral in the Grand Canyon (Quick et al, 1989).
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RECTORITE
A clay mineral, 1:1 regular interstratification of a dioctahedral mica and a trioctahedral smectite.
Cochise County: from Kartchner Caverns south of Benson (Hill, 1999).
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REICHENBACHITE
Copper phosphate hydroxide, Cu5(PO4)2(OH)4. Found as a rare secondary copper mineral in oxide zones of hydrothermal deposits.
Yavapai County: from Binghampton mine with libethenite (R. Thomssen personal communication, 2000).
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SCHMIEDERITE
Lead copper selenite selenate oxide hydroxide, Pb2Cu2(Se4+O3)(Se6+O4)(OH)4 Found as a rare secondary mineral.
Maricopa County: Collected from the main vein at the Tonopah-Belmont mine by Dick Thomssen and Joe Marty.
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SHANNONITE
Lead oxide carbonate, Pb2OCO3. A secondary mineral formed by heating cerussite. The Grand Reef mine is the type locality.
Graham County: found at the Grand Reef mine as white porcellanous masses with plumbojarosite, hematite, quartz, litharge, massicot, hydrocerussite,and minium (Roberts, et al, 1995).
Maricopa County: found in the main entrance to the Tonopah-Belmont mine as the result of a mine fire.
Pinal County: Pioneer district, Black Prince (Olsen) mine from a fire (Bill Hunt, personal communication 1990).
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SRILANKITE
Titanium zirconium oxide, (Ti,Zr) O2. Found as inclusions in other zirconium minerals and pyrope garnets.
Apache County: found from an ultramafic diatreme at Garnet Ridge on the Navajo Reservation. It occurs as inclusions in pyrope crystals collected from surface concentrates. These pyropes also contain carmichaelite, rutile, spinel, olivine, and minerals of the crichtonite group (Wang et al., 2000).
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STRACZEKITE
Calcium potassium barium vanadium oxide hydrate, (Ca,K,Ba)2(V5+,V4+)8O20·6H2O. A secondary mineral found in oxidized portions of vanadium or uranium-vanadium deposits.
Apache County: Monument No. 2 mine, found on Harvard Mineralogical Museum spec. 105103 (Evans and Hughes, 1990).
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URANOPILITE
Uranyl sulfate hydroxide hydrate, (UO2)6(SO4)10. A rare secondary uranium mineral.
Cochise County: Cole mine, Warren district. It was found as a post-mining effloresce with gypsum and minor zippeite and johannite (R. W. Graeme, personal communication 1999).
Navajo County: Big Chief mine, Monument Valley (Shirley Wetmore, personal communication 1999).
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WAGNERITE
Magnesium iron phosphate fluoride, (Mg,Fe)2(PO4)F. Found as a rare accessory mineral in metamorphic rocks.
Yuma County: from the West side of the Dome Rock Mountains in a kyanite quartzite with rutile, lazulite and topaz (Marsh and Sheridan, 1976).
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WUPATKIITE
Cobalt magnesium nickel aluminum sulfate hydrate, (Co,Mg,Ni)Al2(SO4)4·22H2O. Forms as a post-mining incrustation. The Arizona occurence is the type locality.
Coconino County: from the Cameron uranium district in a shallow open cut 8 miles ESE of Gray Mountain. It is found aas a post-mine incrustation, which has formed a concrete-like crust on the walls of the open cut with pickeringite (Williams and Cesbron, 1995).
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ZINCOCOPIAPITE
Zinc iron sulfate hydroxide hydrate, ZnFe3(SO4)6(OH)2·18H2O. A rare secondary zinc mineral.
Cochise County: Tunnel level, Higgins mine, Warren district. Found as a post-mining mineral with copiapite, melanterite, and roemerite on sphalerite and pyrite ore (R. W. Graeme, personal communication 1999).
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