A Natural Vanadate–Arsenate Isomorphous Series with Jeffbenite-Type Structure: New Fumarolic Minerals Udinaite, NaMg4(VO4)3, and Arsenudinaite, NaMg4(AsO4)3

Abstract

Two new isostructural minerals udinaite and arsenudinaite with the end-member formulae NaMg4(VO4)3 and NaMg4(AsO4)3, respectively, are found in the Arsenatnaya fumarole, Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka, Russia. They are associated with one another and anhydrite, diopside, hematite, schäferite, berzeliite, svabite, calciojohillerite, tilasite, reznitskyite, ludwigite, rhabdoborite-group borates, forsterite, magnesioferrite, fluorapatite, pliniusite, and powellite. Both minerals occur as equant tetragonal prismatic–dipyramidal crystals up to 0.15 mm, aggregates up to 1 cm and interrupted crusts up to 2 × 2 cm2. Udinaite and arsenudinaite, visually indistinguishable from one another, are transparent, beige or brownish-yellowish, with vitreous lustre. Both minerals are optically uniaxial (–); ω = 1.785/1.777 and ε = 1.830/1.820, Dcalc. = 3.613/3.816 g·cm−3 (udinaite/arsenudinaite). The empirical formulae are: udinaite: (Na0.55Ca0.16)Σ0.71(Mg4.04Mn0.02Fe0.01)Σ4.07(V1.63As1.05P0.28Si0.03S0.01)Σ3.00O12; arsenudinaite: (Na0.57Ca0.13)Σ0.70(Mg4.01Mn0.01Fe0.01)Σ4.03(As2.07V0.84P0.10Si0.01S0.01)Σ3.03O12. Both minerals are tetragonal, I-42d, Z = 4, a = 6.8011(2)/6.8022(1), c = 19.1839(12)/19.1843(6) Å, and V = 887.35(7)/887.66(4) Å3, R1 = 0.0287/0.0119 (udinaite/arsenudinaite). Their crystal structure consists of the helical chains of edge-sharing MgO6 octahedra and isolated TO4 tetrahedra, forming a heteropolyhedral pseudo-framework with Na cations located in cavities. Both minerals are isostructural to jeffbenite. Udinaite and arsenudinaite form an isomorphous series in which the contents of T constituents vary within (in apfu): V1.6–0.1As2.8–1.0P0.4–0.0.