Jakobssonite, CaAlF 5 , a new mineral from fumaroles at the Eldfell and Hekla volcanoes, Iceland

• Published in: Mineralogical Magazine
• Main Authors: Balic Zunic, Tonci, Garavelli, A., Mitolo, D., Acquafredda, P., Leonardsen, E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Eldfell; Heimaey; Hekla; Iceland
• Online Access: https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/jakobssonite-caalf5-a-new-mineral-from-fumaroles-at-the-eldfell-and-hekla-volcanoes-iceland(9e05f04f-6eee-4ca4-b95f-63d91b19a600).html; https://doi.org/10.1180/minmag.2012.076.3.22

The new mineral jakobssonite, ideally CaAlF5, was first found in crusts collected in 1988 from a fumarole on the Eldfell volcano, Heimaey Island, Iceland. It was subsequently found in similar crusts collected in 1991 from a fumarole on the Hekla volcano, Iceland. It is associated with leonardsenite (IMA2011-059), ralstonite, heklaite, anhydrite, gypsum, jarosite, hematite, opal and several fluoride minerals that have not been fully characterized. Jakobssonite occurs as soft white fragile crusts of acicular crystals <50 mm long. Its calculated density is 2.89 g cm3. Chemical analyses by energy dispersive spectrometry on a scanning electron microscope produced a mean elemental composition as follows: Ca, 18.99; Al, 18.55; Mg, 1.33; Na, 0.33; F, 50.20; O, 10.39; total 99.79 wt.%. The empirical chemical formula, calculated on the basis of 7 atoms per formula unit with all of the oxygen as OH, is (Ca0.73Mg0.09Na0.02)S0.84Al1.06F4.09(OH)1.01. Jakobssonite is monoclinic, space group C2/c, with a = 8.601(1), b = 6.2903(6), c = 7.2190(7) Å , b = 114.61(1)o, V = 355.09(8) Å3 and Z = 4. The crystal structure contains chains of [AlF6] octahedra which run parallel to the c axis. These chains are interconnected by chains of [CaF7] pentagonal bipyramids. Jakobssonite is isostructural with several other CaMIIIF5 compounds. The eight strongest lines in the powder diffraction diagram [d in Å (I) (hkl)] are as follows: 4.91 (18) (110), 3.92 (76) (200), 3.15 (68) (020), 3.13 (100) (1-1-2 ), 2.27 (22) (2-2-2 ), 1.957 (21) (400), 1.814 (20) (1-3-2), 1.805 (22) (20-4 ). The chemical and crystal-structure analyses of jakobssonite are similar to synthetic CaAlF5 with minor substitutions of light elements (e.g. Na) or vacancies for Ca, and OH for F.