Hazenite officially approved as a new mineral.
On February 28, 2008, the Commission on New Minerals of the International Mineralogical Association approved the new mineral "hazenite." The microbially-precipitated mineral, which was discovered and describe by Dr. Hexiong Yang of the University of Arizona, has the formula: KNaMg2(PO4)2.14H2O
Locality: South shore of Mono Lake (lat. 38ºN, long. 119ºW), California, U.S.A.
Occurrence: In dried-out or decomposed algae on porous calcium-carbonate (calcite and aragonite) substrates.
General appearance: Radiating elongated (along [100]) tabular or prismatic clusters or single bladed tabular crystals (up to 0.06 x 0.12 x 0.40 mm). No twinning.
Physical properties:
Luster: vitreous.
Diaphaneity: transparent.
Color: Colorless in transmitted light.
Streak: white.
Luminescence: nonfluorescent.
Hardness: 2 to 2½.
Tenacity: brittle.
Cleavage: {001} good.
Density: 1.91 g/cm3 (meas.), 1.88 g/cm3 (calc.)
Solubility: dissolve in 10% HCl at room temperature
Crystallography:
Orthorhombic, space group Pmnb (# 62)
a=6.9349(5), b=25.1737(18), c=11.2189(10) Å, V=1957.8 Å3,
Z = 4,