The other day we added the new mineral wildenauerite to the database.
This phosphate mineral with the formula:
Zn(Fe3+,Mn2+)2MnFe3+(PO4)3(OH)3(H2O)6·2H2O was approved pending being published by the IMA in August/September 2017.
Isostructural with new minerals wilhelmgümbelite and closely related to schmidite.
Previously we found out that schmidite is basically the oxidized version of schoonerite, and actually schmidite may end up being quite common, and schoonerite may end up being very rare.
The problem with these new schoonerite minerals is going to be figuring out which one they actually are now. There are apparently zoned crystals with 2-4 species present. Wilhelmgumbelite is basically the even more oxidized version of schoonerite.
This is similar to eleonorite being the oxidized form of beraunite.
I am told here are also possibly 3-4 more new minerals related to schoonerite in the pipeline!
Wildenauerite was discovered in association with zinc rich rockbridgeite and thought to be an alteration product of this, and similar to the above more to come here.
According the Christian Rewitzer there could be as many as 6 more, just from Hagendorf, and possibly Foote Mine.
I am sure there will be more to update on this in due course....
