Purple-pink color minerals which has chemical composition and crystal structure as distinct with 4,000 other minerals found from the mining site in Polar Bear Peninsula, South Cowan Lake, Western Australia.
The workers who are looking for nickel and gold discovered the mineral and named putnisite name as the Australian minerals expert, Andrew and Christine Putnis. One of them saw a bright pink object and sends it to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).
Minerals are then handled by Peter Elliot, a researcher at the South Australian Museum, who believes putnisite pale to dark purple with a pink line that is a new type of mineral. Elliot said, a mineral considered to be different from the known mineral because it has a different chemical composition or crystal structure is different, or the chemical composition and the crystal structure is different.
The workers who are looking for nickel and gold discovered the mineral and named putnisite name as the Australian minerals expert, Andrew and Christine Putnis. One of them saw a bright pink object and sends it to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).
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| Putnisite is a newly discovered mineral that occurs as tiny crystals on volcanic rock. One such crystal, just 0.4 millimeters across, shown here, was recently found at the Armstrong mine in Widgiemooltha, Western Australia. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1mSzSSz) |
"Putnisite, a chromium sulfate strontium calcium carbonate, has a unique chemical composition and crystal structure are unique as well," Elliot said in an email to LiveScience page.
Found in volcanic rock, the mineral measuring 0.5 millimeters, looks like dark pink dots on a dark green and white stones. When viewed with a microscope, it looks like a lump of mineral crystals.
"When the rocks in the area of Lake Cowan settles millions of years ago, they contain small concentrations of calcium strontium chromium and sulfur. Over time, weather and removing this element makes putnisite crystallized," said Elliot.
The discovery of the new mineral is a common thing, 50-100 specimens discovered in recent years but is usually not found by the miners, said Elliot.
"Usually found in the mineral collection of the museum. Several minerals are found by collectors of minerals that will send an expert to the mineral collection at the university museum to be identified," he said. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LIVESCIENCE]
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