Karlditmarite
A valid IMA mineral species
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
About Karlditmarite
Karl von Ditmar
Formula:
Cu9O4(PO4)2(SO4)2
Colour:
olive green
Lustre:
Vitreous
Specific Gravity:
4.606 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Triclinic
Name:
Named in honor of Karl Bernhard Woldemar Ferdinand von Ditmar (8 September 1822, Vändra, Pärnu County, Livonia (now Estonia) - 25 April 1892, Tartu, Livonia) geologist and explorer. From 1851-1855 he traveled to Kamchatka and undertook scientific investigations.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
55451
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:55451:6
IMA Classification of Karlditmarite
Approved
IMA Formula:
Cu2+9O4(PO4)2(S6+O4)2
Approval year:
2021
Type description reference:
Siidra, Oleg I.; Nazarchuk, Evgeni V.; Pautov, Leonid A.; Borisov, Artem S.; Zaitsev, Anatoly N.; Avdontseva, Evgeniya Yu. (2026) Karlditmarite, Cu9O4(PO4)2(SO4)2, the first copper phosphate-sulfate mineral from the Tolbachik volcano. American Mineralogist, 111 (6). p.989-996. doi:10.2138/am-2025-9994
Classification of Karlditmarite
8.BB.
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without H2O
B : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 about 1:1
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without H2O
B : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 about 1:1
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kdt | 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 Karlditmarite
Vitreous
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent
Colour:
Olive green
Streak:
Light green
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
None Observed
Parting:
none
Density:
4.606 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Karlditmarite
Type:
Biaxial (-)
RI values:
nα = 1.810(3) nβ = 1.835(3) nγ = 1.872(2)
2V:
Calculated: 99.7°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.062
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
Very High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Pleochroism:
Weak
Chemistry of Karlditmarite
Mindat Formula:
Cu9O4(PO4)2(SO4)2
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Karlditmarite
Crystal System:
Triclinic
Class (H-M):
1 - Pinacoidal
Space Group:
P1
Cell Parameters:
a = 6.1256(7) Å, b = 7.9192(8) Å, c = 7.9866(2) Å
α = 75.173(2)°, β = 86.639(2)°, γ = 88.660(2)°
α = 75.173(2)°, β = 86.639(2)°, γ = 88.660(2)°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.774 : 1 : 1.009
Unit Cell V:
373.87 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
1
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 7.72 Å | (100) |
| 6.28 Å | (37) |
| 4.769 Å | (25) |
| 4.262 Å | (31) |
| 3.750 Å | (22) |
| 3.310 Å | (26) |
| 3.283 Å | (31) |
| 3.199 Å | (18) |
Reference:
Siidra, Oleg I.; Nazarchuk, Evgeni V.; Pautov, Leonid A.; Borisov, Artem S.; Zaitsev, Anatoly N.; Avdontseva, Evgeniya Yu. (2026) Karlditmarite, Cu9O4(PO4)2(SO4)2, the first copper phosphate-sulfate mineral from the Tolbachik volcano. American Mineralogist, 111 (6). p.989-996. doi:10.2138/am-2025-9994
Type Occurrence of Karlditmarite
General Appearance of Type Material:
prismatic crystals reach up 50 μm but usually measure from 1 to 10 μm in size.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
collections of the Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy Prospekt 18-2, Moscow 119071, Russia, registration number 5589/1
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Fumaroles at ~350°C
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Reference:
Siidra, Oleg I.; Nazarchuk, Evgeni V.; Pautov, Leonid A.; Borisov, Artem S.; Zaitsev, Anatoly N.; Avdontseva, Evgeniya Yu. (2026) Karlditmarite, Cu9O4(PO4)2(SO4)2, the first copper phosphate-sulfate mineral from the Tolbachik volcano. American Mineralogist, 111 (6). p.989-996. doi:10.2138/am-2025-9994
Synonyms of Karlditmarite
Other Language Names for Karlditmarite
Dutch:Karlditmariet
German:Karlditmarit
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 8.BB. | Moabite | NiFe3+(PO4)O |
| 8.BB. | Tilasite | CaMg(AsO4)F |
| 8.BB. | Paulgrothite | Cu9Fe3+O4(PO4)4Cl3 |
| 8.BB. | Milkovoite | Cu4O(PO4)(AsO4) |
| 8.BB.X | Arsenowagnerite | Mg2(AsO4)F |
| 8.BB.05 | Tavorite | LiFe3+(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.05 | Amblygonite | LiAl(PO4)F |
| 8.BB.05 | Montebrasite | LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.10 | Zwieselite | Fe2+2(PO4)F |
| 8.BB.10 | Triplite | Mn2+2(PO4)F |
| 8.BB.15 | 'Unnamed (Sb-analogue of Auriacusite)' | Fe3+Cu2+[(Sb,As)O4]O |
| 8.BB.15 | Joosteite | Mn2+(Mn3+,Fe3+)(PO4)O |
| 8.BB.15 | Hydroxylwagnerite | Mg2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.15 | Wagnerite | Mg2(PO4)F |
| 8.BB.15 | Stanĕkite | (Mn2+,Fe2+,Mg)Fe3+(PO4)O |
| 8.BB.15 | Triploidite | Mn2+2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.15 | Sarkinite | Mn2+2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.15 | Wolfeite | Fe2+2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.20 | Holtedahlite | Mg2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.20 | Satterlyite | (Fe2+,Mg,Fe)12(PO4)5(PO3OH)(OH,O)6 |
| 8.BB.25 | Althausite | Mg4(PO4)2(OH,O)(F,◻) |
| 8.BB.30 | Zincolivenite | CuZn(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Adamite | Zn2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Libethenite | Cu2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Zincolibethenite | CuZn(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Eveite | Mn2+2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Olivenite | Cu2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Auriacusite | Fe3+Cu2+(AsO4)O |
| 8.BB.35 | Paradamite | Zn2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.35 | Tarbuttite | Zn2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.40 | Barbosalite | Fe2+Fe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Scorzalite | Fe2+Al2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Lazulite | MgAl2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Meizhouite | Fe2+V3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Hentschelite | CuFe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Wilhelmkleinite | ZnFe3+2(AsO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.45 | Dokuchaevite | Cu8O2(VO4)3Cl3 |
| 8.BB.45 | Trolleite | Al4(PO4)3(OH)3 |
| 8.BB.45 | Yaroshevskite | Cu9O2(VO4)4Cl2 |
| 8.BB.50 | Namibite | Cu(BiO)2(VO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.50 | Aleutite | [Cu5O2](AsO4)(VO4) · (Cu,K,Pb,Rb,Cs,)Cl |
| 8.BB.52a | Ericlaxmanite | Cu4O(AsO4)2 |
| 8.BB.52b | Kozyrevskite | Cu4O(AsO4)2 |
| 8.BB.55 | Phosphoellenbergerite | (Mg,◻)2Mg12(PO4,PO3OH)6(PO3OH,CO3)2(OH)6 |
| 8.BB.55 | Popovite | Cu5O2(AsO4)2 |
| 8.BB.60 | Urusovite | CuAl(AsO4)O |
| 8.BB.65 | Theoparacelsite | Cu3(As2O7)(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.70 | Turanite | Cu5(VO4)2(OH)4 |
| 8.BB.75 | Stoiberite | Cu5(VO4)2O2 |
| 8.BB.80 | Fingerite | Cu11(VO4)6O2 |
| 8.BB.85 | Averievite | Cu6(VO4)2O2Cl2 |
| 8.BB.90 | Richellite | CaFe3+2(PO4)2(OH,F)2 |
| 8.BB.90 | Lipscombite | Fe2+Fe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.90 | Zinclipscombite | ZnFe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
Other Information
Notes:
insoluble in water
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 Karlditmarite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-55451.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
Search Engines:
External Links:
Mineral Dealers:
References for Karlditmarite
Reference List:
Miyawaki, Ritsuro, Hatert, Frédéric, Pasero, Marco, Mills, Stuart J. (2021) IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) – Newsletter 61. European Journal of Mineralogy, 33 (3) 299-304 doi:10.5194/ejm-33-299-2021
Siidra, Oleg I.; Nazarchuk, Evgeni V.; Pautov, Leonid A.; Borisov, Artem S.; Zaitsev, Anatoly N.; Avdontseva, Evgeniya Yu. (2026) Karlditmarite, Cu9O4(PO4)2(SO4)2, the first copper phosphate-sulfate mineral from the Tolbachik volcano. American Mineralogist, 111 (6). p.989-996. doi:10.2138/am-2025-9994
Localities for Karlditmarite
Showing 1 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.
Russia (TL) | |
| Miyawaki et al. (2021) |
Quick NavTopAbout KarlditmariteUnique IdentifiersIMA Classification Classification Mineral SymbolsPhysical Properties Optical Data Chemistry Crystallography X-Ray Powder DiffractionType Occurrence SynonymsOther LanguagesStrunz-MindatOther InformationInternet Links References Localities Locality List
Tolbachik Volcanic field, Milkovsky District, Kamchatka Krai, Russia