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Balestraite, KLi2VSi4O10O2, the first member of the mica group with octahedral V5+

  • Giovanni O. Lepore , Luca Bindi , Alberto Zanetti , Marco E. Ciriotti , Olaf Medenbach and Paola Bonazzi EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: April 9, 2015
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American Mineralogist
From the journal American Mineralogist Volume 100 Issue 2-3

Abstract

A mica-group mineral characterized by a high V content and free of Al was found in the mangane- siferous beds within the metacherts of the ophiolitic sequences at the Cerchiara mine, Eastern Liguria (Italy), in association with hematite, quartz, and calcite. Chemical and structural characterization supported by Raman data defines this phase as a new mineral species, which is named balestraite after Corrado Balestra, a prominent Italian amateur mineralogist. Balestraite, ideally KLi2V5+Si4O10O2, is a 1M trioctahedral mica crystallizing in the C2 space group, with a = 5.2024(5), b = 8.9782(7), c = 9.997(2) Å, β = 100.40(2)°, V = 459.3(1) Å3, Z = 2. The reduction of symmetry from the “ideal” space group C2/m is related to the ordering of V at only one of the two pseudo-symmetric octahedral sites. Vanadium forms very distorted octahedra with a [2+2+2] geometry characteristic of the valence state +5. The Li,V composition of the octahedral sheet, the pure tetrasilicic character of the tetrahedral sheet, and the anhydrous character produce unusual geometrical features for this mica. The occurrence of 5+ as the dominant valence state of V and the virtually complete O2- → OH- substitution at the O4 site indicate strongly oxidizing conditions of crystallization, which are consistent with balestraite occurring at the boundary between carbonate-bearing veins and hematite bands. The new mineral and name were approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, IMA (2013-080).

Keywords: Balestraite; new mineral; Li-mica; V-mica; Cerchiara mine; pentavalent vanadium
Received: 2014-3-12
Accepted: 2014-8-31
Published Online: 2015-4-9
Published in Print: 2015-2-1

© 2015 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston

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  2. Tweed, twins, and holes
  3. The chemical behavior of fluids released during deep subduction based on fluid inclusions
  4. In situ observation of the pyroxene-majorite transition in Na2MgSi5O12 using synchrotron radiation and Raman spectroscopy of Na-majorite
  5. Prevalence of growth twins among anhedral plagioclase microlites
  6. Intrinsic conditions of magma genesis at the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field (Nevada), and implications for internal plumbing and magma ascent
  7. A rock fragment related to the magnesian suite in lunar meteorite Allan Hills (ALHA) 81005
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  27. Balestraite, KLi2VSi4O10O2, the first member of the mica group with octahedral V5+
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  29. Complete substitution of Fe2+ by Mg in Fe4O5: The crystal structure of the Mg2Fe2O5 end-member
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https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2015-4972
Keywords for this article
Balestraite; new mineral; Li-mica; V-mica; Cerchiara mine; pentavalent vanadium

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Anhydrite: An important sulfur binder limiting the climatic impact of subaerial volcanic eruptions
  2. Tweed, twins, and holes
  3. The chemical behavior of fluids released during deep subduction based on fluid inclusions
  4. In situ observation of the pyroxene-majorite transition in Na2MgSi5O12 using synchrotron radiation and Raman spectroscopy of Na-majorite
  5. Prevalence of growth twins among anhedral plagioclase microlites
  6. Intrinsic conditions of magma genesis at the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field (Nevada), and implications for internal plumbing and magma ascent
  7. A rock fragment related to the magnesian suite in lunar meteorite Allan Hills (ALHA) 81005
  8. Trinitite redux: Mineralogy and petrology
  9. Pauloabibite, trigonal NaNbO3, isostructural with ilmenite, from the Jacupiranga carbonatite, Cajati, São Paulo, Brazil
  10. Kojonenite, a new palladium tin telluride mineral from the Stillwater Layered Igneous Intrusion, Montana, U.S.A.
  11. Cathodoluminescence dependence on feldspar mineral structure and implications for forensic geology
  12. Non-invasive assessment of the formation of tourmaline nodules by X-ray microtomography and computer modeling
  13. Alkali influence on the water speciation and the environment of protons in silicate glasses revealed by 1H MAS NMR spectroscopy
  14. Carbonate mineralization in percolated olivine aggregates: Linking effects of crystallographic orientation and fluid flow
  15. The catalytic effect of bound extracellular polymeric substances excreted by anaerobic microorganisms on Ca-Mg carbonate precipitation: Implications for the “dolomite problem”
  16. Experimental study along the magnesio-hornblende–glaucophane join
  17. Direct observation of Ca-Na ordering and structure polarity in Ca-rich intermediate plagioclase feldspar with incommensurate modulated structure
  18. Stability and adhesion of calcite/montmorillonite assembly
  19. Experimental and modeled chlorine solubilities in aluminosilicate melts at 1 to 7000 bars and 700 to 1250 °C: Applications to magmas of Augustine Volcano, Alaska
  20. Cation order-disorder in Fe-bearing pyrope and grossular garnets: A 27Al and 29Si MAS NMR and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy study
  21. Trace and minor elements in galena: A reconnaissance LA-ICP-MS study
  22. A refined monoclinic structure for a variety of “hydrohematite”
  23. Mössbauer spectroscopic study of natural eosphorite, [(Mn,Fe)AlPO4(OH)2H2O]
  24. P-V-T equation of state of Ca3Cr2Si3O12 uvarovite garnet by using a diamond-anvil cell and in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction
  25. Possible new Ca-REE-Bi phosphate minerals from a tungsten-rich calcsilicate skarn, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
  26. Klebelsbergite, Sb4O4SO4(OH)2: Stability relationships, formation in Nature, and refinement of its structure
  27. Balestraite, KLi2VSi4O10O2, the first member of the mica group with octahedral V5+
  28. Prediction of enthalpies of formation of hydrous sulfates
  29. Complete substitution of Fe2+ by Mg in Fe4O5: The crystal structure of the Mg2Fe2O5 end-member
  30. The effect of H2O on F and Cl solubility and solution mechanisms of in aluminosilicate melts at high pressure and high temperature
  31. The elasticity of MgAl2O4–MnAl2O4 spinels by Brillouin scattering and an empirical approach for bulk modulus prediction
  32. Synthesis of stoichiometric nickel aluminate spinel nanoparticles
  33. New Mineral Names
  34. Book Review
  35. American Mineralogist thanks the year 2014 reviewers
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