Tetrahedrite Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 I have just confirmed that a mineral that I found last week on a field trip is actually new to science!!! And I'm completely psyched!! For those who don't know much about mineralogy, there are only about 4,000 seperate mineral species known to man and only about 30 new species get discovered worldwide every year. To discover a new mineral species at my age is pretty cool (i think anyways) The mineral is related to pyromorphite, and has the approximate formula Pb3Ca2(PO4)3(OH,Cl). Don't know what we are going to name it yet, possible mineralhillit, after the name of the mine in which it was found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilded Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Gongratulations! I have collected gemstones/semi-precious gems/minerals for some while (I think I was interested in them at the age of 5 ) ), and it's always great to see a new mineral getting discovered. Especially if it A) Has an unusual structure B) Looks nice C) Contains unusual elements, especially uranium. Lead is fine too. :> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffsjoe Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Don't know what we are going to name it yet, possible mineralhillite, after the name of the mine in which it was found. No, name it after your self! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayonara Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 I vote for Tetrahedriteiteite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilded Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Name it plumbucalciwhateverite. That should piss geologists off. I bet Ophiolite is looking for his axe and shovel already. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetrahedrite Posted January 21, 2005 Author Share Posted January 21, 2005 No, name it after your self! Etiquette says that you may name it after any deserving colleagues, but never after yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetrahedrite Posted January 21, 2005 Author Share Posted January 21, 2005 I vote for Tetrahedriteiteite. I like havabeertonite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 yip, sounds like the best name to me. and i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayonara Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 Etiquette says that you may name it after any deserving colleagues, but never after yourself. Yttwentyninetyfiveolite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophiolite Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 Name it plumbucalciwhateverite. That should piss geologists off. I bet Ophiolite is looking for his axe and shovel already. ) Not at all. You can't piss geologists off. (Except by discovering one new mineral more than what they have!) I had been thinking along the lines of buggeredifiknowwhatitisite. Anyway. Tell us more about it. Hardness, colour, density, crystall class, and, of most interest, environment of formation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilded Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 How much of it you found? And if it's like pyromorphite, does it crystallize the same way after melting like it (I bet it hasn't been tried yet though )? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetrahedrite Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 Not at all. You can't piss geologists off. (Except by discovering one new mineral more than what they have!) I had been thinking along the lines of buggeredifiknowwhatitisite. Anyway. Tell us more about it. Hardness' date=' colour, density, crystall class, and, of most interest, environment of formation.[/quote'] A couple of properties that I've deduced so far: Streak - white Lustre - resinous Hardness - ~4 (similar to pyromorphite) Fracture - brittle Colour - creamy white to light orange, occassionally colourless. Crystal Class - Hexagonal (P6(3)/m) Habits - massive (with pyromorphite) and as microcrystalline botryoidal coatings on hematite Environment - The mineral has formed on a quartz rich gossanous piece of rock, associated with pyromorphite and cerussite. Other lead minerals known to occur in the same mine include osarizawaite (also an extremely rare mineral species), beaverite, beudantite, mimetite, bindheimite and plumbogummite. The mine also contains significant silver halides and malachite and azurite. Gangue minerals include quartz, kaolinite, calcite, siderite and chlorite. Given the minerals present in the oxidised zone of the deposit I can identify at least two separate periods of mineralisation, an initial acid event conducive to the precipitation of the minerals osarizawaite, beaverite, beudantite and plumbogummite. This was probably followed by a much less acid event that allowed the precipitation of cerussite, mimetite, malachite, azurite, pyromorphite, and my new mineral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetrahedrite Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 How much of it you found? And if it's like pyromorphite, does it crystallize the same way after melting like it (I bet it hasn't been tried yet though )? The mineral is contained in one tiny piece of rock about 5x4x1 cms. I've probably got no more than a third of a gram so I'm not even going to try and melt the stuff!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnB Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 To discover a new mineral species at my age is pretty cool (i think anyways) It's cool at any age. Congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rakuenso Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I dare you to name it SFN, maybe we'll get more hits that way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecoli Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 SFNite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayonara Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 scienceforumsdotnetite. Then there will be decades of argument over whether it's pronounced 'scienceforums-dotneetite', or scienceforumsdot-nettite'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetrahedrite Posted January 24, 2005 Author Share Posted January 24, 2005 scienceforumsdotnetite. Then there will be decades of argument over whether it's pronounced 'scienceforums-dotneetite'' date=' or scienceforumsdot-nettite'.[/quote'] Thats not as silly as you may think, there are some really wacky mineral names. Minrecordite is a real mineral in the dolomite group named after the Journal "The mineralogical record" My favourite mineral name is Hydrombobomkulite (you have to tie your tongue in a knot to say it) The mineral mentioned above, osarizawaite, is another favourite. My supervisor has also just had a mineral named after him called petewilliamsite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetrahedrite Posted January 25, 2005 Author Share Posted January 25, 2005 It's cool at any age. Congratulations. Thanx, I'm pretty stoked. Watch this space - I may have another new polymolybdate mineral coming soon!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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