Whiteite-(CaMnFe), a new jahnsite-group mineral from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Oberpfalz, Bavaria.

Whiteite-(CaMnFe), CaMn 2+ Fe 22+ Al 2 (PO 4) 4 (OH) 2 ⋅ 8H 2 O, is a new whiteite-subgroup member of the jahnsite group from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany. It was found in vugs in an altered feldspar area of a specimen composed predominantly of rockbridgeite, with hureaulite and relic triphylite. Other associated minerals in small vugs in the specimen were strengite and laueite. Whiteite-(CaMnFe) occurs as sprays and clusters of colourless to pale yellow, rod-like crystals, with diameters of typically 10 to 50 µ m and lengths up to ∼ 500 µ m. The crystals are flattened on {001} and elongated along [010]. The measured density is 2.80(2) g cm -3. Optically, whiteite-(CaMnFe) crystals are biaxial (+), with α=1.608(3) , β=1.612(3) , γ=1.624(3) and 2 V (meas.) = 59(1) ∘. The empirical formula from electron microprobe analyses and structure refinement is (Ca 0.70 Mn 0.30)Mn(Fe 1.232+ Mn 0.49 Mg 0.29 Zn 0.06) (Al 1.88 Fe 0.123+)(PO 4) 3.96 (OH) 2 (H 2 O) 8. Whiteite-(CaMnFe) is monoclinic, P2 /a , a=14.925(5) , b=7.0100(14) , c=10.053(2) Å, β=111.31(2) ∘ , V=979.9(4) Å 3 and Z=2. The crystal structure was refined using single-crystal data to wRobs=0.052 for 1613 reflections with I>3σ(I). Site occupancy refinements confirm the ordering of dominant Ca, Mn and Fe 2+ in the X , M 1 and M 2 sites, respectively, of the general jahnsite-group formula XM 1 M 2 2 M 3 2 (H 2 O) 8 (OH) 2 (PO 4) 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]