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Widgiemoolthalite

January 01, 1970

Widgiemoolthalite is a rare hydrated nickel(II) carbonate mineral with the chemical formula (Ni,Mg)5(CO3)4(OH)2·5H2O. Usually bluish-green in color, it is a brittle mineral formed during the weathering of nickel sulfide. Present on gaspéite surfaces, widgiemoolthalite has a Mohs scale hardness of 3.5 and an unknown though likely disordered crystal structure. Widgiemoolthalite was first discovered in 1992 in Widgiemooltha, Western Australia, which is to date its only known source. It was named the following year by the three researchers who first reported its existence, Ernest H. Nickel, Bruce W. Robinson, and William G. Mumme.

Widgiemoolthalite
Widgiemoolthalite (bright green) intermingled with gaspéite (yellow-green). Field of view is three millimeters (0.12 in).
General
CategoryCarbonate minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)		(Ni,Mg)5(CO3)4(OH)2·5H2O
IMA symbolWmo
Strunz classification5.DA.05
Dana classification16b.7.1.2
Crystal systemMonoclinic
Crystal classPrismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)
Space groupP21/c
Unit cella = 10.06, b = 8.75
c = 8.32 [Å]; β = 114.3°, Z = 2
Identification
ColorBluish-green, grass-green
Crystal habitFibrous, rarely massive, pseudo-orthorhombic
TenacityBrittle
Mohs scale hardness3.5
LusterSilky
StreakPale bluish-green
DiaphaneityTransparent
Specific gravity
  • 3.13 (observed)
  • 3.24 (calculated)
Optical propertiesBiaxial (+)
Refractive indexnω = 1.630
nε = 1.640
Birefringence0.010
PleochroismNone
2V angleHigh
Length fast/slowFast
References[1][2][3]

Origins edit

One consequence of the 1966 discovery of nickel deposits in Western Australia and subsequent nickel mining boom was the discovery of novel secondary mineral species in mined regions beginning in the mid-1970s.[4][5] Widgiemoolthalite was first found at 132 North, a nickel deposit near Widgiemooltha, Western Australia, controlled by the Western Mining Corporation. Blair J. Gartrell collected the holotype widgiemoolthalite specimen from a stockpile of secondary minerals at the site. The mineral was discovered in 1992 and was first reported in American Mineralogist in 1993 by Ernest H. Nickel, Bruce W. Robinson, and William G. Mumme, when it received its name for its type locality.[2][6] Widgiemoolthalite's existence was confirmed and name was approved by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association the same year. The holotype specimen was stored in Perth's Western Australian Museum.[2] In 2021, widgiemoolthalite was assigned the IMA symbol Wmo.[7]

Occurrence edit

Widgiemoolthalite occurs as a secondary mineral. It is found overlaying nickel sulfide that has undergone weathering, often in hollow spaces on gaspéite surfaces, and often exhibiting fibrous and rarely massive crystal habits.[2] Other minerals associated with widgiemoolthalite include annabergite, carrboydite, dolomite, glaukosphaerite, hydrohonessite, kambaldaite, magnesite, nepouite, nullaginite, olivenite, otwayite, paratacamite, pecoraite, reevesite, retgersite, and takovite.[2][8] Two additional unnamed minerals were also reported as associated secondary minerals from the 132 North site, the only locality at which widgiemoolthalite has been found.[3][8] The 132 North waste pile from which widgiemoolthalite was first recovered is no longer in existence, making it a rare mineral.[9] In support of the designation of an Anthropocene epoch, the existence and provenance of widgiemoolthalite, along with 207 other mineral species, have been cited as evidence of uniquely human action upon global stratigraphy.[10]

Structure edit

 
A ball-and-stick model of a possible widgiemoolthalite crystal structure, adapted from the atomic parameters of its structural analog hydromagnesite as reported by Akao and Iwai[11] modified with measurements by Nickel et al.[2] The model is viewed down the b axis. Gray atoms are nickel, black are carbon, red are oxygen, and blue are hydrogen.

Widgiemoolthalite is a nickel(II) carbonate that has undergone mineral hydration. Tests by Nickel, Robinson, and Mumme yielded the chemical formula (Ni,Mg)5.00(CO3)4.15-(OH)1.70·5.12H2O. The researchers observed that widgiemoolthalite is the nickel structural analog to the hydrated magnesium carbonate hydromagnesite and considering this relationship, determined that widgiemoolthalite's ideal makeup is Ni5(CO3)4(OH)2·4-5H2O though because it may contain either nickel or magnesium, widgiemoolthalite's makeup may also be written (Ni,Mg)5(CO3)4(OH)2·5H2O.[2][12] By weight, the mineral is 49.58% oxygen, 34.41% nickel, 8.05% carbon, 6.11% magnesium, and 1.86% hydrogen.[13] As of 2016, the exact crystal structure of widgiemoolthalite was not known though based on the patterns produced when the mineral was analyzed with X-ray crystallography, a high degree of structural disorder was suspected.[14][15] Under an optical microscope, Nickel, Robinson, and Mumme reported difficulty discerning individual crystals as their lateral dimensions were too small.[2]

Crystals of widgiemoolthalite conform to a monoclinic system of symmetry, occupying space group P21/c. A unit cell of the mineral, the smallest divisible unit that possesses the same symmetry and properties, is packed with twice the atoms of its formula unit and has the dimensions a = 10.06(17), b = 8.75(5), and c = 8.32(4) Å. Each unit cell of widgiemoolthalite has a β value of 114.3(8)° and an approximate volume of 667.48 Å3.[2][6]

Characteristics edit

Hand specimens of widgiemoolthalite tend to be bluish-green though may also be grass-green in rare cases. Widgiemoolthalite is transparent in hand sample with a silky luster and a pale bluish-green streak. The mineral is brittle and breaks along its fiber contacts. Its observed specific gravity is 3.13(1) while its calculated specific gravity is 3.24, with a hardness of 3.5 on the Mohs scale.[2][3]

When viewed with polarized light under a petrographic microscope, widgiemoolthalite appears bluish-green and does not exhibit pleochroism. It is biaxial positive and has a high optic angle (or 2V). When measured perpendicular and parallel to its axis of anisotropy, its refractive indices are 1.630 and 1.640 respectively. This gives it a birefringence of 0.010.[2][3]

References edit

  This article was submitted to WikiJournal of Science for external academic peer review in 2019 (reviewer reports). The updated content was reintegrated into the Wikipedia page under a CC-BY-SA-3.0 license (2019). The version of record as reviewed is: Collin Knopp-Schwyn; et al. (25 August 2019). "Widgiemoolthalite" (PDF). WikiJournal of Science. 2 (1): 7. doi:10.15347/WJS/2019.007. ISSN 2470-6345. Wikidata Q81440318.

  1. ^ Schorn, S.; et al. (2017). "Widgiemoolthalite". Mineral Atlas. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Nickel, E. H.; Robinson, B. W.; Mumme, W. G. (August 1993). "Widgiemoolthalite: The new Ni analogue of hydromagnesite from Western Australia" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 78 (7–8): 819–821.
  3. ^ a b c d "Widgiemoolthalite". Mindat.org. Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. May 1, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Prider, R. T. (May 1970). "Nickel in Western Australia". Nature. 226 (5247): 691–693. Bibcode:1970Natur.226..691P. doi:10.1038/226691a0. PMID 16057474. S2CID 4202704.
  5. ^ Birch, B. (December 1997). "New minerals in Australia". Geology Today. 13 (6): 230–234. Bibcode:1997GeolT..13..230B. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2451.1997.t01-1-00017.x. S2CID 140669594.
  6. ^ a b Gamsjäger, H.; Bugajski, J.; Gajda, T.; Lemire, R. J.; Preis, W. (2005). Chemical Thermodynamics of Nickel. Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-444-51802-6.
  7. ^ Warr, L. N. (June 2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  8. ^ a b Nickel, E. H.; Clout, J. F. M.; Gartrell, B. J. (July 1994). "Secondary nickel minerals from Widgiemooltha". Mineralogical Record. 25 (4): 283–291. ProQuest 211708719.
  9. ^ Whitfield, P. S. (December 2014). "Diffraction studies from minerals to organics: lessons learned from materials analyses". Powder Diffraction. 29 (S1): S2–S7. Bibcode:2014PDiff..29S...2W. doi:10.1017/S0885715614001146. OSTI 1185457. S2CID 98738242.  
  10. ^ Hazen, R. M.; Grew, E. S.; Origlieri, M. J.; Downs, R. T. (March 2017). "On the mineralogy of the 'Anthropocene Epoch'". American Mineralogist. 102 (3): 595–611. Bibcode:2017AmMin.102..595H. doi:10.2138/am-2017-5875. S2CID 111388809.  
  11. ^ Akao, M.; Iwai, S. (April 1977). "The hydrogen bonding of hydromagnesite". Acta Crystallographica Section B. 33 (4): 1273–1275. Bibcode:1977AcCrB..33.1273A. doi:10.1107/S0567740877005834.
  12. ^ Tao, Q.; Reddy, B. J.; He, H.; Frost, R. L.; Yuan, P.; Zhu, J. (December 2008). "Synthesis and infrared spectroscopic characterization of selected layered double hydroxides containing divalent Ni and Co" (PDF). Materials Chemistry and Physics. 112 (3): 869–875. doi:10.1016/j.matchemphys.2008.06.060.  
  13. ^ "Widgiemoolthalite". WebMineral. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  14. ^ Bette, S.; Rincke, C.; Dinnebier, R. E.; Voigt, W. (May 2016). "Crystal Structure and Hydrate Water Content of Synthetic Hellyerite, NiCO3·5.5H2O". Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie. 642 (9–10): 652–659. doi:10.1002/zaac.201600044.  
  15. ^ Reddy, B. J.; Keeffe, E. C.; Frost, R. L. (January 2010). "Characterisation of Ni carbonate-bearing minerals by UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy" (PDF). Transition Metal Chemistry. 35 (3): 279–287. doi:10.1007/s11243-009-9324-7. S2CID 93689608.  

External links edit

  •   Media related to Widgiemoolthalite at Wikimedia Commons

January 01, 1970
widgiemoolthalite, rare, hydrated, nickel, carbonate, mineral, with, chemical, formula, 5h2o, usually, bluish, green, color, brittle, mineral, formed, during, weathering, nickel, sulfide, present, gaspéite, surfaces, widgiemoolthalite, mohs, scale, hardness, u. Widgiemoolthalite is a rare hydrated nickel II carbonate mineral with the chemical formula Ni Mg 5 CO3 4 OH 2 5H2O Usually bluish green in color it is a brittle mineral formed during the weathering of nickel sulfide Present on gaspeite surfaces widgiemoolthalite has a Mohs scale hardness of 3 5 and an unknown though likely disordered crystal structure Widgiemoolthalite was first discovered in 1992 in Widgiemooltha Western Australia which is to date its only known source It was named the following year by the three researchers who first reported its existence Ernest H Nickel Bruce W Robinson and William G Mumme WidgiemoolthaliteWidgiemoolthalite bright green intermingled with gaspeite yellow green Field of view is three millimeters 0 12 in GeneralCategoryCarbonate mineralsFormula repeating unit Ni Mg 5 CO3 4 OH 2 5H2OIMA symbolWmoStrunz classification5 DA 05Dana classification16b 7 1 2Crystal systemMonoclinicCrystal classPrismatic 2 m same H M symbol Space groupP21 cUnit cella 10 06 b 8 75 c 8 32 A b 114 3 Z 2IdentificationColorBluish green grass greenCrystal habitFibrous rarely massive pseudo orthorhombicTenacityBrittleMohs scale hardness3 5LusterSilkyStreakPale bluish greenDiaphaneityTransparentSpecific gravity3 13 observed 3 24 calculated Optical propertiesBiaxial Refractive indexnw 1 630 ne 1 640Birefringence0 010PleochroismNone2V angleHighLength fast slowFastReferences 1 2 3 Contents 1 Origins 2 Occurrence 3 Structure 4 Characteristics 5 References 6 External linksOrigins editOne consequence of the 1966 discovery of nickel deposits in Western Australia and subsequent nickel mining boom was the discovery of novel secondary mineral species in mined regions beginning in the mid 1970s 4 5 Widgiemoolthalite was first found at 132 North a nickel deposit near Widgiemooltha Western Australia controlled by the Western Mining Corporation Blair J Gartrell collected the holotype widgiemoolthalite specimen from a stockpile of secondary minerals at the site The mineral was discovered in 1992 and was first reported in American Mineralogist in 1993 by Ernest H Nickel Bruce W Robinson and William G Mumme when it received its name for its type locality 2 6 Widgiemoolthalite s existence was confirmed and name was approved by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association the same year The holotype specimen was stored in Perth s Western Australian Museum 2 In 2021 widgiemoolthalite was assigned the IMA symbol Wmo 7 Occurrence editWidgiemoolthalite occurs as a secondary mineral It is found overlaying nickel sulfide that has undergone weathering often in hollow spaces on gaspeite surfaces and often exhibiting fibrous and rarely massive crystal habits 2 Other minerals associated with widgiemoolthalite include annabergite carrboydite dolomite glaukosphaerite hydrohonessite kambaldaite magnesite nepouite nullaginite olivenite otwayite paratacamite pecoraite reevesite retgersite and takovite 2 8 Two additional unnamed minerals were also reported as associated secondary minerals from the 132 North site the only locality at which widgiemoolthalite has been found 3 8 The 132 North waste pile from which widgiemoolthalite was first recovered is no longer in existence making it a rare mineral 9 In support of the designation of an Anthropocene epoch the existence and provenance of widgiemoolthalite along with 207 other mineral species have been cited as evidence of uniquely human action upon global stratigraphy 10 Structure edit nbsp A ball and stick model of a possible widgiemoolthalite crystal structure adapted from the atomic parameters of its structural analog hydromagnesite as reported by Akao and Iwai 11 modified with measurements by Nickel et al 2 The model is viewed down the b axis Gray atoms are nickel black are carbon red are oxygen and blue are hydrogen Widgiemoolthalite is a nickel II carbonate that has undergone mineral hydration Tests by Nickel Robinson and Mumme yielded the chemical formula Ni Mg 5 00 CO3 4 15 OH 1 70 5 12H2O The researchers observed that widgiemoolthalite is the nickel structural analog to the hydrated magnesium carbonate hydromagnesite and considering this relationship determined that widgiemoolthalite s ideal makeup is Ni5 CO3 4 OH 2 4 5H2O though because it may contain either nickel or magnesium widgiemoolthalite s makeup may also be written Ni Mg 5 CO3 4 OH 2 5H2O 2 12 By weight the mineral is 49 58 oxygen 34 41 nickel 8 05 carbon 6 11 magnesium and 1 86 hydrogen 13 As of 2016 the exact crystal structure of widgiemoolthalite was not known though based on the patterns produced when the mineral was analyzed with X ray crystallography a high degree of structural disorder was suspected 14 15 Under an optical microscope Nickel Robinson and Mumme reported difficulty discerning individual crystals as their lateral dimensions were too small 2 Crystals of widgiemoolthalite conform to a monoclinic system of symmetry occupying space group P21 c A unit cell of the mineral the smallest divisible unit that possesses the same symmetry and properties is packed with twice the atoms of its formula unit and has the dimensions a 10 06 17 b 8 75 5 and c 8 32 4 A Each unit cell of widgiemoolthalite has a b value of 114 3 8 and an approximate volume of 667 48 A3 2 6 Characteristics editHand specimens of widgiemoolthalite tend to be bluish green though may also be grass green in rare cases Widgiemoolthalite is transparent in hand sample with a silky luster and a pale bluish green streak The mineral is brittle and breaks along its fiber contacts Its observed specific gravity is 3 13 1 while its calculated specific gravity is 3 24 with a hardness of 3 5 on the Mohs scale 2 3 When viewed with polarized light under a petrographic microscope widgiemoolthalite appears bluish green and does not exhibit pleochroism It is biaxial positive and has a high optic angle or 2V When measured perpendicular and parallel to its axis of anisotropy its refractive indices are 1 630 and 1 640 respectively This gives it a birefringence of 0 010 2 3 References edit nbsp This article was submitted to WikiJournal of Science for external academic peer review in 2019 reviewer reports The updated content was reintegrated into the Wikipedia page under a CC BY SA 3 0 license 2019 The version of record as reviewed is Collin Knopp Schwyn et al 25 August 2019 Widgiemoolthalite PDF WikiJournal of Science 2 1 7 doi 10 15347 WJS 2019 007 ISSN 2470 6345 Wikidata Q81440318 Schorn S et al 2017 Widgiemoolthalite Mineral Atlas Retrieved January 5 2017 a b c d e f g h i j k Nickel E H Robinson B W Mumme W G August 1993 Widgiemoolthalite The new Ni analogue of hydromagnesite from Western Australia PDF American Mineralogist 78 7 8 819 821 a b c d Widgiemoolthalite Mindat org Hudson Institute of Mineralogy May 1 2016 Retrieved May 3 2016 Prider R T May 1970 Nickel in Western Australia Nature 226 5247 691 693 Bibcode 1970Natur 226 691P doi 10 1038 226691a0 PMID 16057474 S2CID 4202704 Birch B December 1997 New minerals in Australia Geology Today 13 6 230 234 Bibcode 1997GeolT 13 230B doi 10 1046 j 1365 2451 1997 t01 1 00017 x S2CID 140669594 a b Gamsjager H Bugajski J Gajda T Lemire R J Preis W 2005 Chemical Thermodynamics of Nickel Amsterdam Elsevier p 216 ISBN 978 0 444 51802 6 Warr L N June 2021 IMA CNMNC approved mineral symbols Mineralogical Magazine 85 3 291 320 Bibcode 2021MinM 85 291W doi 10 1180 mgm 2021 43 S2CID 235729616 a b Nickel E H Clout J F M Gartrell B J July 1994 Secondary nickel minerals from Widgiemooltha Mineralogical Record 25 4 283 291 ProQuest 211708719 Whitfield P S December 2014 Diffraction studies from minerals to organics lessons learned from materials analyses Powder Diffraction 29 S1 S2 S7 Bibcode 2014PDiff 29S 2W doi 10 1017 S0885715614001146 OSTI 1185457 S2CID 98738242 nbsp Hazen R M Grew E S Origlieri M J Downs R T March 2017 On the mineralogy of the Anthropocene Epoch American Mineralogist 102 3 595 611 Bibcode 2017AmMin 102 595H doi 10 2138 am 2017 5875 S2CID 111388809 nbsp Akao M Iwai S April 1977 The hydrogen bonding of hydromagnesite Acta Crystallographica Section B 33 4 1273 1275 Bibcode 1977AcCrB 33 1273A doi 10 1107 S0567740877005834 Tao Q Reddy B J He H Frost R L Yuan P Zhu J December 2008 Synthesis and infrared spectroscopic characterization of selected layered double hydroxides containing divalent Ni and Co PDF Materials Chemistry and Physics 112 3 869 875 doi 10 1016 j matchemphys 2008 06 060 nbsp Widgiemoolthalite WebMineral Retrieved January 7 2016 Bette S Rincke C Dinnebier R E Voigt W May 2016 Crystal Structure and Hydrate Water Content of Synthetic Hellyerite NiCO3 5 5H2O Zeitschrift fur anorganische und allgemeine Chemie 642 9 10 652 659 doi 10 1002 zaac 201600044 nbsp Reddy B J Keeffe E C Frost R L January 2010 Characterisation of Ni carbonate bearing minerals by UV Vis NIR spectroscopy PDF Transition Metal Chemistry 35 3 279 287 doi 10 1007 s11243 009 9324 7 S2CID 93689608 nbsp External links edit nbsp Media related to Widgiemoolthalite at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Widgiemoolthalite amp oldid 1221898311, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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