Middlebackite is an organic mineral with the formula Cu2C2O4(OH)2. It was first discovered within a boulder from the Iron Monarch quarry in South Australia in June 1990.[2] Peter Elliott from the University of Adelaide, Australia, identified the structure of the mineral 25 years later. He determined its crystal structure through single-crystal X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation. Elliot named the mineral for the Middleback Range where it originated.[3] In 2018 middlebackite was found in Val di Fiemme, Italy, during researches that brought to the discovery of a new mineral named fiemmeite.[4]
| Middlebackite | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Category | Organic mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | Cu2C2O4(OH)2 |
| IMA symbol | Mbk[1] |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Crystal class | 2/m - Prismatic |
| Identification | |
| Color | Turquoise |
Localities
edit- Australia: Iron Monarch open cut, Iron Knob, Middleback Range, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
- Italy: Passo di san Lugano, near Carano
References
edit- ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- ^ "Middlebackite: Middlebackite mineral information and data". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- ^ "Carbon Mineral Challenge Update Spring 2016: Four New Minerals Found". Carbon Mineral Challenge. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
- ^ Demartin, Francesco; Campostrini, Italo; Ferretti, Paolo; Rocchetti, Ivano (2018). "Fiemmeite Cu2(C2O4)(OH)2∙2H2O, a New Mineral from Val di Fiemme, Trentino, Italy". Minerals. 8 (6): 248. doi:10.3390/min8060248. hdl:2434/583094.
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