MINYULITE

    Class : Phosphates, arsenates, vanadates
    Subclass : Hydrated phosphates
    Crystal system : Orthorhombic
    Chemistry : KAl2(PO4)2(OH,F) 4H2O
    Rarity : Uncommon

Minyulite is a fairly rare phosphate, appearing mainly in sedimentary formations rich in phosphorus. It is of secondary origin and is formed at the expense of other phosphate minerals. Its name comes from its location of discovery : Minyulo Well (Australia). Minyulite is transparent to translucent, its luster is vitreous to silky and its color is most often white to grayish white, sometimes pale greenish, or green-yellow to green or even pink. It typically presents in fibroradiated aggregates or nodules, made up of prismatic to acicular crystals.

Main photo : Minyulite from Tom's Quarry, Kapunda, Australia © Stephan Wolfsried

Minyulite from Tom's Quarry, Kapunda, Australia © Gianfranco Ciccolini
Minyulite from Pereta Mine, Scansano, Italy © Gianfranco Ciccolini
Minyulite from Utahlite Hill, Utah, USA © Uwe Haubenreisser
Minyulite from La Floquerie, Loire-Atlantique, France © Alexander Wong

Minyulite in the World

Minyulite deposits are few in number. It is quite common in the Lofty Ranges near Adelaide (Australia), where it was defined (at Minyulo Well near Dandaragan). In its type locality minyulite accompanies dufrenite in altered outcrops of glauconite phosphate beds. It is also found, among other places, in the area around Visé (Belgium) and in several localities in the United States.

Minyulite in France

The most beautiful samples in the world probably come from the Floquerie phtanite quarry near Pannecé (Loire-Atlantique) where minyulite was encountered in the joints, associated with wavellite and variscite, in fibroradiated aggregates of green-yellow color. to grayish green, measuring up to 15 cm in diameter.

Twinning

No twin known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes recorded for this mineral species.


Hardness : 3.5
Density : 2.47
Fracture : Undetermined
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.531 to 1.538
Birefringence : 0.007
Optical character : Biaxial +
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : Hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None

ReCaptcha

This service is used to secure web forms of our website and required if you want to contact us. By accepting it you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a service used on our website that tracks, reports traffic and measures how users interact with our website content in order for us to improve it and provide better services.

Facebook

Our website allows you to like or share its content on Facebook social network. By activating and using it you agree to Facebook's privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy/cookies/

YouTube

Integrated videos provided by YouTube are used on our website. By accepting to watch them you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Twitter

Integrated tweets and share services of Twitter are used on our website. By accepting and using these you agree to Twitter's privacy policy: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-cookies

PInterest

Our website allows you to share its content on PInterest social network. By activating and using it you agree to PInterest's privacy policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy/