Borate mineral explained

The Borate Minerals are minerals which contain a borate anion group. The borate (BO₃) units may be polymerised similar to the SiO₄ unit of the silicate mineral class. This results in B₂O₅, B₃O₆, B₂O₄ anions as well as more complex structures which include hydroxide or halogen anions.^[1] The [B(O,OH)<sub>4</sub>]⁻ anion exists as well.

Many borate minerals, such as borax, colemanite, and ulexite, are salts: soft, readily soluble, and found in evaporite contexts. However, some, such as boracite, are hard and resistant to weathering, more similar to the silicates.

There are over 100 different borate minerals.^[1] ^[2] Borate minerals include:

Kernite Na₂B₄O₆(OH)₂·3H₂O
Borax Na₂B₄O₅(OH)₄·8H₂O
Ulexite NaCaB₅O₆(OH)₆·5H₂O
Colemanite CaB₃O₄(OH)₃·H₂O
Boracite Mg₃B₇O₁₃Cl
Painite CaZrAl₉O₁₅(BO₃)

Nickel–Strunz Classification -06- Borates

IMA-CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme (Mills et al., 2009). This list uses it to modify the Classification of Nickel–Strunz (mindat.org, 10 ed, pending publication). Note that although Nickel–Strunz division letters were traditionally based on the number of boron atoms in a mineral's chemical formula (06.A are monoborates, 06.B are diborates, etc.), the IMA has reclassified borate minerals based on the polymerisation of the borate anion.

Abbreviations:

REE: rare-earth element (Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu)
PGE: platinum-group element (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt)
* : discredited (IMA/CNMNC status)
? : questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC status)

Regarding 03.C Aluminofluorides, 06 Borates, 08 Vanadates (04.H V^[5,6] Vanadates), 09 Silicates:

neso-: insular (from Greek Greek, Modern (1453-);: [[wikt:νῆσος#Ancient Greek|νῆσος]], "island")
soro-: grouped (from Greek Greek, Modern (1453-);: [[wikt:σωρός#Ancient Greek|σωρός]], "heap, pile, mound")
cyclo-: rings of (from Greek Greek, Modern (1453-);: [[wikt:κύκλος#Ancient Greek|κύκλος]], "circle")
ino-: chained (from Greek Greek, Modern (1453-);: [[wikt:ίνα#Greek|ίνα]], "fibre", [from Ancient Greek {{lang|el|[[wikt:ἴς#Ancient Greek|ἴς]]}}])
phyllo-: sheets of (from Greek Greek, Modern (1453-);: [[wikt:φύλλον#Ancient Greek|φῠ́λλον]], "leaf")
tekto-: three-dimensional framework (from Greek Greek, Modern (1453-);: [[wikt:τέκτων#Ancient Greek|τεκτον]][[wikt:-ικός#Ancient Greek|ικός]], "of building")

Nickel–Strunz code scheme NN.XY.##x:

NN: Nickel–Strunz mineral class number
X: Nickel–Strunz mineral division letter
Y: Nickel–Strunz mineral family letter
##x: Nickel–Strunz mineral/group number; x an add-on letter

Class: borates

06. Alfredstelznerite
06.A Monoborates
- - - - 06.AA BO₃, without additional anions; 1(D): 05 Sassolite; 15 Nordenskioldine, 15 Tusionite; 35 Jimboite, 35 Kotoite; 40 Takedaite 06.AB BO₃, with additional anions; 1(D) + OH, etc.: 05 Hambergite, 10 Berborite, 15 Jeremejevite; 20 Warwickite, 20 Yuanfuliite; 25 Karlite; 30 Azoproite, 30 Bonaccordite, 30 Fredrikssonite, 30 Ludwigite, 30 Vonsenite; 35 Pinakiolite; 40 Blatterite, 40 Orthopinakiolite, 40 Takeuchiite, 40 Chestermanite; 45 Hulsite, 45 Magnesiohulsite, 45 Aluminomagnesiohulsite; 50 Hydroxylborite, 50 Fluoborite; 55 Shabynite, 55 Wightmanite; 60 Gaudefroyite, 65 Sakhaite, 70 Harkerite; 75 IMA2008-060, 75 Pertsevite; 80 Jacquesdietrichite, 85 Painite 06.AC B(O,OH)₄, without and with additional anions; 1(T), 1(T)+OH, etc.: 05 Sinhalite; 10 Pseudosinhalite; 15 Béhierite, 15 Schiavinatoite; 20 Frolovite; 25 Hexahydroborite; 30 Henmilite; 35 Bandylite; 40 Teepleite; 45 Moydite-(Y); 50 Carboborite; 55 Sulfoborite; 60 Luneburgite; 65 Seamanite; 70 Cahnite 06.H Unclassified Borates
- 06.HA Unclassified borates: 05 Chelkarite; 10 Braitschite-(Ce); 15 Satimolite; 20 Iquiqueite; 25 Wardsmithite; 30 Korzhinskite; 35 Halurgite; 40 Ekaterinite; 45 Vitimite; 50 Canavesite; 55 Qilianshanite

Subclass: nesoborates

06.BA Neso-diborates with double triangles B₂(O,OH)₅; 2(2D); 2(2D) + OH, etc.: 05 Suanite; 10 Clinokurchatovite, 10 Kurchatovite; 15 Sussexite, 15 Szaibelyite; 20 Wiserite
06.BB Neso-diborates with double tetrahedra B₂O(OH)₆; 2(2T): 05 Pinnoite; 10 Pentahydroborite
- 06.CA Neso-triborates: 10 Ameghinite; 15 Inderite; 20 Kurnakovite; 25 Inderborite; 30 Meyerhofferite; 35 Inyoite; 40 Solongoite; 45 Peprossiite-(Ce); 50 Nifontovite; 55 Olshanskyite 06.DA Neso-tetraborates: 10 Borax; 15 Tincalconite; 20 Hungchaoite; 25 Fedorovskite, 25 Roweite; 30 Hydrochlorborite; 35 Uralborite; 40 Numanoite, 40 Borcarite; 60 Fontarnauite
06.EA Neso-pentaborates: 05 Sborgite; 10 Ramanite-(Rb), 10 Ramanite-(Cs), 10 Santite; 15 Ammonioborite; 25 Ulexite
06.FA Neso-hexaborates: 05 Aksaite; 10 Mcallisterite; 15 Admontite; 20 Rivadavite; 25 Teruggite

Subclass: inoborates

06.BC Ino-diborates with triangles and/or tetrahedra: 10 Calciborite, 10 Aldzhanite*; 15 Vimsite; 20 Sibirskite, 20 Parasibirskite
06.CB Ino-triborates: 10 Colemanite; 15 Hydroboracite; 20 Howlite; 25 Jarandolite
06.DB Ino-tetraborates: 05 Kernite
06.EB Ino-pentaborates: 05 Larderellite; 10 Ezcurrite; 15 Probertite; 20 Tertschite; 25 Priceite
06.FB Ino-hexaborates: 05 Aristarainite; 10 Kaliborite

Subclass: phylloborates

06.CC Phyllo-triborates: 05 Johachidolite
06.EC Phyllo-pentaborates: 05 Biringuccite, 05 Nasinite; 10 Gowerite; 15 Veatchite, 15 Veatchite-A, 15 Veatchite-p; 20 Volkovskite; 25 Tuzlaite; 30 Heidornite; 35 Brianroulstonite
06.FC Phyllo-hexaborates: 05 Nobleite, 05 Tunellite, 05 Balavinskite; 10 Strontioborite; 15 Ginorite, 15 Strontioginorite; 20 Fabianite
06.GB Phyllo-nonaborates, etc.: 05 Studenitsite; 10 Penobsquisite; 15 Preobrazhenskite; 20 Walkerite

Subclass: tektoborates

06.BD Tektodiborates with tetrahedra: 05 Santarosaite
06.DD Tekto-tetraborates: 05 Diomignite
- 06.ED Tekto-pentaborates: 05 IMA2007-047, 05 Tyretskite, 05 Hilgardite, 05 Kurgantaite 06.GA Tekto-heptaborates: 05 Boracite, 05 Chambersite, 05 Ericaite; 10 Congolite, 10 Trembathite
06.GC Tekto-dodecaborates: 05 Rhodizite, 05 Londonite
06.GD Mega-tektoborates: 05 Ruitenbergite, 05 Pringleite; 10 Metaborite

References

The standardisation of mineral group hierarchies: application to recent nomenclature proposals . Stuart J. Mills . Frédéric Hatert . Ernest H. Nickel . Giovanni Ferraris . amp . Eur. J. Mineral. . 2009 . 1073–1080 . 10.1127/0935-1221/2009/0021-1994 . 21 . 2011-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110217063745/http://pubsites.uws.edu.au/ima-cnmnc/Mills%20et%20al%202009%20Groups%20EJM%20October.pdf . 2011-02-17 . dead .
Web site: Nickel–Strunz (Version 10) Classification System . webmineral.com . Jim . Ferraiolo .
Hr. Dr. Udo Neumann der Uni-Tuebingen (Systematik der Minerale)

Notes and References

Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius Hurlbut, Jr., Manual of Mineralogy, Wiley, 20th ed., 1985 pp. 343 - 347
http://webmineral.com/strunz/V.shtml Webmineral.Com