Ronneburgite, K2MnV4O12, a new mineral from Ronneburg, Thuringia, Germany: Description and crystal structure

2001

Ronneburgite is a new chain vanadate mineral from Ronneburg, Thuringia, Germany. It occurs as reddish-brown crystals of equant, flattened, or short prismatic habit, up to 0.5 mm in length. The crystals have an adamantine luster and are translucent. Ronneburgite is biaxial negative with refractive indices n α = 1.925(5), n β = 1.960(10), n γ = 1.988(4), and 2 V x = 82°. Electron microprobe analysis (K 2 O = 16.93, MnO = 12.44, MgO = 0.62, V 2 O 5 = 68.54; total = 98.53 wt%) gives the empirical formula K 1.91 Mn 0.93 Mg 0.08 V 4.00 O 11.96 , which simplifies to K 2 MnV 4 O 12 . Ronneburgite is mono-clinic, space group P 2 1 / n , with a = 8.183(3), b = 9.247(3), c = 8.651(2) A, and β = 109.74…