Pale grey crystals of the extremely rare Mg borate mineral aksaite from the TL (Chelkar Salt Dome, Aksai Valley, Shalkar, Aktobe Province, Kazakhstan) and only known locality worsdide in Aksai Valley. Ex Vandenbroucke Museum collection from Waregem, Belgium. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY 4.0
Aksaite
A magnesium borate mineral known from Kazakhstan.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Aksaite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the borate class, with the chemical formula MgB₆O₇(OH)₆·2H₂O.
It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system (space group Pbca).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2.5; specific gravity 2.066; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Aks, IMA status: approved, named in 1962.
Found in fine-grained halite in a salt dome.
It is found associated with Kieserite, anhydrite, preobrazhenskite, boracite, ginorite, halurgite, strontioborite, metaborite, halite.
The name comes from the locality, Ak-saı̆ (“White Glen”), Kazakhstan.