Waylandite Locality: Roter Berg District, Schneeberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany Field of view 5mm. Specimen and photo Leon Hupperichs. — Photo: Leon Hupperichs · CC BY-SA 3.0
Waylandite
A bismuth-aluminium phosphate of the crandallite group, named for geologist Edgar Wayland.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Waylandite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the phosphate class, with the chemical formula BiAl₃(PO₄)₂(OH)₆.
It crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system (space group R-3m). It is a member of the Alunite-crandallite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 4–5; specific gravity 4.08; Vitreous to dull luster; optically uniaxial.
IMA symbol Way, IMA status: approved, named in 1962.
A rare secondary mineral replacing primary bismuth minerals.
It is found associated with Bismutite (Restormel mine, Cornwall, England); bismutotantalite (Ngusa, Congo).
The mineral was named to honor Edgar James Wayland, first Director of the Uganda Geological Survey.