Middlebackite Explained

Middlebackite
Category:	Organic mineral
Formula:	Cu2C2O4(OH)2
Imasymbol:	Mbk^[1]
System:	Monoclinic
Class:	2/m - Prismatic
Color:	Turquoise

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]

Localities

• Australia: Iron Monarch open cut, Iron Knob, Middleback Range, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
• Italy: Passo di san Lugano, near Carano

Notes and References

1. Warr. L.N.. 2021. IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine. 85. 3 . 291–320. 10.1180/mgm.2021.43 . 2021MinM...85..291W . 235729616 . free.
2. Web site: Middlebackite: Middlebackite mineral information and data.. www.mindat.org. 2017-09-01.
3. Web site: Carbon Mineral Challenge Update Spring 2016: Four New Minerals Found . Carbon Mineral Challenge. en-US. 2017-09-01.
4. Fiemmeite Cu2(C2O4)(OH)2∙2H2O, a New Mineral from Val di Fiemme, Trentino, Italy. Minerals. 8. 6. 248. en. 10.3390/min8060248. 2018. Demartin. Francesco. Campostrini. Italo. Ferretti. Paolo. Rocchetti. Ivano. free. 2434/583094. free.