Just approved and pending publication here is news of yet another vanadate mineral, and this time by coincidence it has a "van" in the name.
Vandermeerscheite is a new mineral chemically similar to carnotite.
| Vandermeerscheite |
K2[(UO2)2V2O8]·2H2O |
Monoclinic: P21/n |
| Carnotite |
K2(UO2)2(VO4)2·3H2O |
Monoclinic: P21/b |
We will find out if it gets added to the carnotite group in due course.
The type locality for vandermeerscheite is Schellkopf, Brenk, Eifel, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
It is interesting that the only other vanadium mineral discovered so far at Schellkopf is carnotite.
The picture shows the yellow colour and the association with phillipsite.
The mineral is understood to have been named for Belgian mineralogist Eddy Van Der Meersche, and author of the book Laacher See Minerals (1997) pertinent to the origins of vandermeerscheite.
| Citation: Plášil, J., Kampf, A.R., Škoda, R. and Čejka, J. (2018) Vandermeerscheite, IMA 2017-104. CNMNC Newsletter No. 42, April 2018, page xxx; European Journal of Mineralogy, 30, xxx–xxx. |
