- PII
- S2658435225060028-1
- DOI
- 10.7868/S2658435225060028
- Publication type
- Article
- Status
- Published
- Authors
- Volume/ Edition
- Volume 154 / Issue number 6
- Pages
- 27-39
- Abstract
- A new mineral masaitisite, ideally KCuO(SeO)Cl, was found in high-temperature sublimes of the active fumarole Yadovitaya at the Second scoria cone of the Northern Breakthrough of the Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption, Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka, Russia. The mineral is associated with euchlorine, alumokly-uchevskite, langbeinite, cupromolybdite, pseudoloyonsite, yaroshevskite, lyonsite, hematite, and palmierite. Masaitisite occurs as prismatic, tabular or lamellar crystals up to 30μm long, up to 20μm wide, and up to 5μm thick. The crystals are combined in aggregates up to 0.2mm overgrowing euchlorine crusts. Masaitisite is transparent, bright yellowish-green, with strong vitreous lustre. It is brittle, cleavage was not observed. D = 4.01g / cm. In reflected light, masaitisite is gray, bireflectance is weak, internal reflections are weak light green; the mineral is distinctly anisotropic, from brownish-gray to dark brownish-gray. The reflectance values [R - R,% (λ, nm)] are: 8.1 - 10.9 (470), 9.8 - 11.3 (546), 9.2 - 10.4 (589), 7.9 - 9.8 (650). The chemical composition (electron microprobe data, wt. % ) is: NaO 0.12, KO 5.04, CuO 52.42, ZnO 0.19, SeO 30.21, SO 0.05, Cl 14.19, Br 0.80, - O = (Cl,Br) 3.29 total 99.73. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 11 O + Cl + Br apfu is (KNa)(CuZn)SeOClBr. Masaitisite is orthorhombic, space group Pnma, a = 18.154(5), b = 6.451(2), c = 10.567(3) Å, V = 1237(1) Å, and Z = 4. The strongest reflections of the powder X- ray diffraction pattern [d,Å(I,%) (hkl)] are: 9.03 (100) (200); 5.50 (55) (011); 5.27 (88) (002, 301); 3.276 (52) (203); 3.227 (71) (020); 2.633 (63) (004, 222, 420); 2.526 (46) (701); 2.347 (43) (513, 422, 711). Masaitisite is a K analogue of ilinskite NaCuO(SeO)Cl and a natural analogue of synthetic KCuO(SeO)Cl. The mineral is named in honour of the prominent Russian geologist and petrologist Viktor Liudvigovich Masaitis (1927-2019).
- Keywords
- масайтисит новый минерал калиево-медный селенит хлороселенит ильинскит фумарольные эксгаляции вулкан Толбачик Камчатка
- Date of publication
- 16.10.2025
- Year of publication
- 2025
- Number of purchasers
- 0
- Views
- 5
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