Alumovesuvianite, Ca19Al(Al,Mg)12Si18O69(OH)9, a new vesuvianite-group member from the Jeffrey mine, asbestos, Estrie region, Québec, Canada (original) (raw)

Abstract

Alumovesuvianite (IMA 2016–014), ideally Ca19Al(Al,Mg)12Si18O69(OH)9, is a new vesuvianite-group member found in the rodingite zone at the contact of a gabbroid rock with host serpentinite in the abandoned Jeffrey mine, Asbestos, Estrie Region, Québec, Canada. It occurs as prismatic tetragonal crystals up to 4 × 4 × 6 mm3 in size encrusting walls of cavities in a granular diopside. Associated minerals are diopside, grossular and prehnite. Single crystals of alumovesuvianite are transparent colorless or light pink with a vitreous lustre. The dominant crystal forms are {100}, {110}, {210}, {111}, {101} and {001}. The Mohs hardness is 6.5. The specific gravitiy is D meas = 3.31(1) g/cm3 and D calc = 3.36 g/cm3, respectively. The mineral is optically uniaxial (−), ω = 1.725(2), ε = 1.722(2). The chemical composition, determined by SEM–WDS (wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy on a scanning electron microscope; all oxides except H2O) and TG (thermogravimety; H2O) analysis, is: SiO2 37.1 wt%, Al2O3 18.8 wt%, CaO 36.6 wt%, MgO 2.48 wt%, Mn2O3 0.67 wt%, Fe2O3 0.22 wt%, H2O 2.61 wt%, total 98.5 wt%. The empirical formula based on 19 Ca atoms per formula unit and taking into account the MAS–NMR (magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance) data, is: Ca19.00(Al0.92Fe3+ 0.08)Σ1.00(Al9.83Mg1.80Mn3+ 0.25)Σ11.88Si17.98O69.16(OH)8.44. The most intense IR absorption bands lie in the ranges 412–609, 897–1024, and 3051–3671 cm−1. The eight strongest lines of the powder X-ray diffraction pattern are (I–d(Å)–hkl): 22–2.96–004, 100–2.761–432, 61–2.612–224, 25–2.593–600, 20–1.7658–831, 20–1.6672–734, 21–1.6247–912, and 22–1.3443–880. Alumovesuvianite is tetragonal, space group _P_4/n, unit-cell parameters refined from the powder data are a = 15.5603(5) Å, c = 11.8467(4) Å, V = 2868.3(4) Å3, Z = 2. The crystal structure has been refined to R 1 = 0.036 for 3098 unique observed reflections with |F o| ≥ 4σ F . The structure refinement provides the <_Y_1A–O > bond length of 1.916 Å and the scattering factor for the _Y_1 site of 16 e −, which is in good agreement with the total occupancy of this site as (Al0.73Mn3+ 0.20Fe3+ 0.07)Σ1.00 and is confirmed by the 27Al MAS NMR data. Alumovesuvianite is a new member of the vesuvianite group with Al3+ as a dominant cation in the _Y_1 site. The name alumovesuvianite is given to highlight the species-defining role of Al.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Gregory Yu. Ivanyuk for the photograph of the alumovesuvianite specimen. Fernando Cámara, Evgeny V. Galuskin and editor Lutz Nasdala are thanked for critical reviews and helpful comments. This work was supported by St. Petersburg State University (3.38.243.2015) and the President of Russian Federation Grant for leading scientific schools (no. NSh-10005.2016.5). Experimental studies were carried out using resources of the X-ray Diffraction Centre and Geo Environmental Centre “Geomodel” of Saint-Petersburg State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crystallography, St. Petersburg State University, University Emb. 7/9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
    Taras L. Panikorovskii, Evgenia Yu Avdontseva & Sergey V. Krivovichev
  2. Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, 142432, Russia
    Nikita V. Chukanov
  3. Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy Prospekt 59, Moscow, 117333, Russia
    Sergey M. Aksenov
  4. Faculty of Geology, Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia
    Sergey M. Aksenov
  5. Center for Magnetic Resonance, St. Petersburg State University, University Av. 26, St. Petersburg, 198504, Russia
    Anton S. Mazur
  6. Institute of Chemistry, St. Petersburg State University, University Av. 26, St. Petersburg, 198504, Russia
    Vladimir V. Shilovskikh

Authors

  1. Taras L. Panikorovskii
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  2. Nikita V. Chukanov
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  3. Sergey M. Aksenov
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  4. Anton S. Mazur
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  5. Evgenia Yu Avdontseva
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  6. Vladimir V. Shilovskikh
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  7. Sergey V. Krivovichev
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Correspondence toTaras L. Panikorovskii.

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Panikorovskii, T.L., Chukanov, N.V., Aksenov, S.M. et al. Alumovesuvianite, Ca19Al(Al,Mg)12Si18O69(OH)9, a new vesuvianite-group member from the Jeffrey mine, asbestos, Estrie region, Québec, Canada.Miner Petrol 111, 833–842 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-017-0495-1

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