TY - JOUR

T1 - Arsenmedaite, Mn62+As5+Si5O18OH, the arsenic analogue of medaite, from the Molinello mine, Liguria, Italy: occurrence and crystal structure

AU - Biagioni, Cristian

AU - Belmonte, Donato

AU - Carbone, Cristina

AU - Cabella, Roberto

AU - Zaccarini, Federica

AU - Balestra, Corrado

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - The new mineral species arsenmedaite, ideally Mn 2+ 6 As 5+ Si 5 O 18 (OH), has been discovered in quartz veinlets in the braunite ore deposit of the Molinello mine, Graveglia Valley, Ne, Genova, Liguria, Italy. It occurs as orange-reddish prismatic crystals, up to 200 μm in length, with a vitreous lustre, associated with braunite, quartz, calcite, As-rich medaite, calcian rhodocrosite, talc, and ganophyllite. Electron microprobe analysis of arsenmedaite gave (in wt%): V 2 O 5 = 1.84, As 2 O 5 = 6.81, SiO 2 = 38.75, CaO = 0.70, MnO = 50.28, H 2 O calc = 1.42, total 99.80. On the basis of ∑Me = 12 atoms per formula unit, the chemical formula of arsenmedaite is (Mn 5.89 Ca 0.10 ) ∑5.99 [(As 0.49 V 0.17 ) ∑0.66 Si 5.35 ] ∑6.01 O 17.69 (OH) 1.31 . The main diffraction lines are [d in Å (relative intensity) hkl]: 3.266 (100) 081, 3.159 (72) 052, 3.094 (82) 221, 2.963 (83) 091, 2.935 (79) 211, 2.788 (68) 072, and 2.612 (98) 082. The crystal-structure study gives a monoclinic unit cell, space group P2 1 /n, with a = 6.7099(3), b = 29.001(1), c = 7.5668(3) Å, β = 95.469(3)°, V = 1465.7(1) Å 3 , Z = 4. The crystal structure has been solved and refined to R 1 = 0.062 on the basis of 3526 reflections with F o > 4σ(F o ) and 287 parameters. Arsenmedaite is isotypic with medaite. In its crystal structure, six-to seven-fold coordinated Mn-centred polyhedra form wavy ribbons linked to TO 4 tetrahedra centred by Si and (As,V). Its formation is likely related to the late-stage circulation of As-and Mn-rich hydrothermal fluids during the final stages of the Alpine tectono-metamorphic evolution of the manganese ore deposits of Eastern Liguria.

AB - The new mineral species arsenmedaite, ideally Mn 2+ 6 As 5+ Si 5 O 18 (OH), has been discovered in quartz veinlets in the braunite ore deposit of the Molinello mine, Graveglia Valley, Ne, Genova, Liguria, Italy. It occurs as orange-reddish prismatic crystals, up to 200 μm in length, with a vitreous lustre, associated with braunite, quartz, calcite, As-rich medaite, calcian rhodocrosite, talc, and ganophyllite. Electron microprobe analysis of arsenmedaite gave (in wt%): V 2 O 5 = 1.84, As 2 O 5 = 6.81, SiO 2 = 38.75, CaO = 0.70, MnO = 50.28, H 2 O calc = 1.42, total 99.80. On the basis of ∑Me = 12 atoms per formula unit, the chemical formula of arsenmedaite is (Mn 5.89 Ca 0.10 ) ∑5.99 [(As 0.49 V 0.17 ) ∑0.66 Si 5.35 ] ∑6.01 O 17.69 (OH) 1.31 . The main diffraction lines are [d in Å (relative intensity) hkl]: 3.266 (100) 081, 3.159 (72) 052, 3.094 (82) 221, 2.963 (83) 091, 2.935 (79) 211, 2.788 (68) 072, and 2.612 (98) 082. The crystal-structure study gives a monoclinic unit cell, space group P2 1 /n, with a = 6.7099(3), b = 29.001(1), c = 7.5668(3) Å, β = 95.469(3)°, V = 1465.7(1) Å 3 , Z = 4. The crystal structure has been solved and refined to R 1 = 0.062 on the basis of 3526 reflections with F o > 4σ(F o ) and 287 parameters. Arsenmedaite is isotypic with medaite. In its crystal structure, six-to seven-fold coordinated Mn-centred polyhedra form wavy ribbons linked to TO 4 tetrahedra centred by Si and (As,V). Its formation is likely related to the late-stage circulation of As-and Mn-rich hydrothermal fluids during the final stages of the Alpine tectono-metamorphic evolution of the manganese ore deposits of Eastern Liguria.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063636240&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1127/ejm/2018/0030-2792

DO - 10.1127/ejm/2018/0030-2792

M3 - Article

VL - 31.2019

SP - 117

EP - 126

JO - European journal of mineralogy

JF - European journal of mineralogy

SN - 0935-1221

IS - 1

ER -