Tuzlaite
A sodium-calcium borate from Bosnia's Tuzla salt mines — the Balkans' only major evaporite.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Tuzlaite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the borate class, with the chemical formula NaCaB₅O₈(OH)₂·3H₂O.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group P2_1/c).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2–3; specific gravity 2.21; White streak; Silky to pearly luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Tuz, IMA status: approved, named in 1993.
Found in a saline evaporite deposit, as veins in dolomitic marl between salt layers.
It is found associated with Halite.
The name refers to Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the town near the salt mine in which the species was found.
Index entry. This entry combines official IMA/RRUFF species data with published physical-property data and a Wikipedia introduction — a full written entry hasn’t been published yet.
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