Oboniobite and Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite,two new minerals in the Bayan Obo deposit,Inner Mongolia
Rare earth elements and niobium have advantageous paramagnetic,mechanical and spectral properties,as well as a high melting point.These two elements are crucial for the development of a low-carbon green new energy industry.The Bayan Obo deposit in Inner Mongolia is the largest rare earth deposit in the world,and it is also containing significant amounts of niobium,iron,scandium,fluorite and other minerals.The deposit has a complex mineral composition and association,with over more than 200 known minerals,including 20 newly identified ones.Oboniobite and Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite are two new minerals recently discovered in this deposit.Oboniobite(Mg4Nb2O9)is a yellowish-brown to brown mineral that appears as platy,euhedral to subhedral crystals ranging from 20 to 100 µm in size.It has a trigonal structure with space group P3cl(#165)and is a newly discovered magnesic-niobic species containing 57.6％Nb2O5.Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite is yellowish blue and has a platy-prismatic,subhedral morphology,reaching sizes of up to 350 μm.This mineral is monoclinic,with the space group C2/m(#12),and contains 6.39％Sc2O3.The identification of two new minerals at the Bayan Obo deposit expands the variety of niobium and scandium minerals available and aids efficient resource utilization.Additionally,the discovery of these new minerals is critical for humans to continuously enhance their understanding of nature and effectively utilize natural materials.
New mineralOboniobiteScandio-fluoro-eckermanniteBayan Obo deposit
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