Thermessaite-(NH4)
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Thermessaite-(NH4)
Formula:
(NH4)2AlF3(SO4)
NH4 may be replaced by minor K.
Colour:
Colourless to white
Lustre:
Vitreous
Specific Gravity:
2.815 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Name:
For being the NH4-analogue of thermessaite.
Type Locality:
Isostructural with:
The ammonium analogue of thermessaite.
Also originally found as an anthropogenic compound ('Unnamed (NH4-analogue of Thermessaite)') on a burning coal dump at the Anna mine, Aachen (U. Kolitsch, 2010, unpubl. data on material collected by Frank de Wit; subsequently published in Witzke et al., 2015).
This mineral contains linear infinite chains of repeating (AlF3) units, classifying it as a so-called ino-fluoro-aluminate.
Crystal structure details:
* corner-sharing AlF4O2 octahedra comprising [001] octahedral chains (by sharing two trans fluoride atoms;
* NH4+ ions placed within layers || (100), alternating regularly with (100) layers;
* the latter layers comprise ribbons of the AlF4O2 octahedra and SO4 groups;
* coordination sphere of the ammonium ions bears five oxygen atoms and by four fluorine atoms
Also originally found as an anthropogenic compound ('Unnamed (NH4-analogue of Thermessaite)') on a burning coal dump at the Anna mine, Aachen (U. Kolitsch, 2010, unpubl. data on material collected by Frank de Wit; subsequently published in Witzke et al., 2015).
This mineral contains linear infinite chains of repeating (AlF3) units, classifying it as a so-called ino-fluoro-aluminate.
Crystal structure details:
* corner-sharing AlF4O2 octahedra comprising [001] octahedral chains (by sharing two trans fluoride atoms;
* NH4+ ions placed within layers || (100), alternating regularly with (100) layers;
* the latter layers comprise ribbons of the AlF4O2 octahedra and SO4 groups;
* coordination sphere of the ammonium ions bears five oxygen atoms and by four fluorine atoms
Name Encoding
Formatted:
thermessaite-(NH4)
HTML:
thermessaite-(NH<sub>4</sub>)
LaTeX:
thermessaite-(NH\$\_4\$)
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
39963
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:39963:6
Similar Names
| Thermessaite | A valid IMA mineral species | K2AlF3(SO4) |
IMA Classification of Thermessaite-(NH4)
Classification of Thermessaite-(NH4)
3.CG.25
3 : HALIDES
C : Complex halides
G : Aluminofluorides with CO3, SO4, PO4
3 : HALIDES
C : Complex halides
G : Aluminofluorides with CO3, SO4, PO4
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Tms-NH4 | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Thermessaite-(NH4)
Vitreous
Transparency:
Transparent
Colour:
Colourless to white
Streak:
White
Density:
2.815 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Chemistry of Thermessaite-(NH4)
Mindat Formula:
(NH4)2AlF3(SO4)
NH4 may be replaced by minor K.
NH4 may be replaced by minor K.
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Thermessaite-(NH4)
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) - Dipyramidal
Space Group:
Pbcn
Cell Parameters:
a = 11.3005(3) Å, b = 8.6125(3) Å, c = 6.8501(2) Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 1.312 : 1 : 0.795
Unit Cell V:
666.69 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Morphology:
Acicular.
Comment:
Cell of anthropogenic material: a = 11.286(2), 8.607(2), 6.843(1) A.
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 6.850 Å | (74) |
| 5.650 Å | (100) |
| 4.844 Å | (89) |
| 3.082 Å | (47) |
| 3.063 Å | (56) |
| 2.782 Å | (26) |
| 2.681 Å | (28) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 45a : [Sulfates, arsenates, selenates, antimonates] | |
| 45b : [Other oxidized fumarolic minerals] | |
| Stage 10b: Anthropogenic minerals | <10 Ka |
| 54 : Coal and other mine fire minerals (see also #51 and #56) |
Type Occurrence of Thermessaite-(NH4)
General Appearance of Type Material:
Micrometer-sized, sharp, prismatic crystals, forming aggregates.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Type material is deposited in the collections of the C.L. Garavelli Museum in the Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e Geoambientali, Università degli Studi di Bari ‘‘Aldo Moro’’, Italy, sample number 15/nm-V28.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
On the surface of pyroclastic breccia.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Thermessaite-(NH4)
Other Language Names for Thermessaite-(NH4)
Dutch:Thermessaiet-(NH4)
German:Thermessait-(NH4)
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 3.CG.3.CG. | Chukhrovite-(Ca) | Ca3Ca1.5Al2(SO4)F13 · 12H2O |
| 3.CG.05 | Stenonite | Sr2Al(CO3)F5 |
| 3.CG.10 | Meniaylovite | Ca4[(SO4)(SiF6)(AlF6)]F · 12H2O |
| 3.CG.10 | Chukhrovite-(Ce) | Ca3CeAl2(SO4)F13 · 12H2O |
| 3.CG.10 | Chukhrovite-(Y) | Ca3YAl2(SO4)F13 · 12H2O |
| 3.CG.10 | Chukhrovite-(Nd) | Ca3NdAl2(SO4)F13 · 12H2O |
| 3.CG.15 | Creedite | Ca3Al2(SO4)(OH)2F8 · 2H2O |
| 3.CG.20 | Bøggildite | Na2Sr2Al2PO4F9 |
| 3.CG.25 | Thermessaite | K2AlF3(SO4) |
| 3.CG.30 | Kruijenite | Ca4Al4(SO4)F2(OH)16 · 2H2O |
Fluorescence of Thermessaite-(NH4)
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Thermessaite-(NH4)
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-39963.html
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Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Thermessaite-(NH4)
Reference List:
Williams, P. A., Hatert, F., Pasero, M., Mills, S. J. (2012) New minerals and nomenclature modifications approved in 2012. CNMNC Newsletter No 12. Mineralogical Magazine, 76 (1) 151-155 doi:10.1180/minmag.2012.076.1.151
Witzke, T., de Wit, F., Kolitsch, U., Blaß, G. (2015) Mineralogy of the Burning Anna I Coal Mine Dump, Alsdorf, Germany. In Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective- Case Studies – Coal Fires Vol. 3. Elsevier. p.203-240. doi:10.1016/C2010-0-68844-4
Garavelli, A., Pinto, D., Mitolo, D., Kolitsch, U (2017) Thermessaite-(NH4): another piece of the puzzle of the evolution of sublimate deposition at “La Fossa” crater fumaroles, in Abstract book. Joint SIMP-SGI-AIV-SoGeI 2017 Conference "Geosciences: a tool in a changing world", Società Geologica Italiana. Pisa, Italy. 122 doi:10.3301/ABSGI/2017.01
Localities for Thermessaite-(NH4)
Showing 3 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Germany | |
| Witzke et al. (2015) |
Italy (TL) | |
| Williams et al. (2012) +2 other references |
Tajikistan | |
| Karpenko et al. (2023) |
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Anna mine, Alsdorf, Aachen, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany