Mcbirneyite

Mcbirneyite is a very rare copper-vanadate mineral, forms tiny black crystals as inclusions or epitaxially grown with green stacked grown lammerite. The associating minerals are tiny black-red lyonsite needles, emerald green piypite needles and rich black microcrystalline coatings of hematite and orange microcrystalline coating of antimony bearing rutile. Very interesting and super rare combination. From: Yadovitaya Fumarole, Great Fissure, Tolbachik, Far Eastern Region, Russian Federation. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0

Mcbirneyite

Mcbirneyite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the vanadate class, with the chemical formula Cu₃(VO₄)₂.

It crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system (space group P-1).

Key properties: specific gravity 4.5; Metallic. R: (470) 18.5, (546) 17.5, (589) 18.7, (650) 20.6 luster.

IMA symbol Mbn, IMA status: approved, named in 1985.

Very rare in the sulfate zone of sublimates around a fumarole in a composite volcano, likely formed between 100 ° C–200 ° C.

It is found associated with Fingerite, thenardite, euchlorine.

The mineral was named to honor Professor Alexander Robert McBirney (1924–), Volcanologist, University of Oregon, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.