Ferraioloite - Portugal, Folgosinho, Sítio do Castelo Mine - 4 mm. Collection Pierre Rosseel — Photo: Henk Smeets - Tomeik Minerals · CC BY 4.0
Ferraioloite
A rare complex pegmatite phosphate found at the Foote Lithium Company mine in North Carolina.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Ferraioloite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the phosphate class, with the chemical formula MgMn²⁺₄(Fe²⁺₀.₅Al₀.₅)₄Zn₄(PO₄)₈(OH)₄(H₂O)₂₀.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group I2/m).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2; specific gravity 2.59; Vitreous luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Frl, IMA status: approved, named in 2015.
A secondary phase in sugary pegmatite.
It is found associated with Vivianite, fairfieldite/messelite, phosphophyllite, scholzite/parascholzite, rittmannite, mangangordonite, kingsmountite, kastningite, metaswitzerite.
The mineral was named to honor James (Jim) Anthony Ferraiolo (1947-2014), author of A Systematic Classification of Nonsilicate Minerals (Bulletin 172 of the American Museum of Natural History, 1982).