SHORT C O M M U N I C A T I O N S
M I N E R A L O G I C A L M A G A Z I N E , DECEMBER

1 9 8 0 , VOL. 43, PP.

lO53
1053-5International Mineralogical Association" Commission
on New Minerals and Mineral Names
ONE of the first tasks of the Commission was toattain uniformity in nomenclature so far as may
be practicable. The Commission has made recommendations in respect of thirty-nine minerals forwhich two or more names were (or are) in commonuse; full agreement on the remaining twelve names
discussed, or on a few not considered by theCommission, seems unlikely in the near future.
Unfortunately, some editors, even of Englishlanguage journals, have not enforced the Commission's recommendations; in Mineral. Mag. only
those names recommended by the Commission
may be used:l"Analcime, not analcite
tAnatase, not octahedritetArsenopyrite, not mispickel
Azurite, not chessylite
tBornite, not erubescite
Bromargyrite, not bromyrite
Celestine, not celestite, coelestine, c61estin, orZ61estin
Chlorargyrite, not cerargyrite (which is reservedfor use as a group name)
Devilline, not devillite or herrengrundite
Digenite, not neodigenite
tFeldspar or Feldspath, not felspar, etc.
Gibbsite, not hydrargillite
Grossular, not grossularite (the latter is particularly objectionable, as grossularite is a rockname)tHematite, not haematite, H/imatit, or oligiste
tHemimorphite, not calamine
Iodargyrite, not iodyrite
Magnesite, not giobertite
Metavariscite, not clinovariscite
Natron, not soda
Nickeline, not niccolite or nickelite
Nitratine, not soda nitre or soda niter
Nontronite, not chloropal
Orthoclase, not orthose (but orthose will still beused in France)
Phosphosiderite, not metastrengite or clinostrengite
Piemontite, not piedmontite
Rhodochrosite, not dialogite

Rutherfordine, not rutherfordite (for the mineralof Marckwald, I9o6; rutherfordite of Shepard,I 8 5 I , is an ill-defined rare-earth mineral)
Siderite, not chalybite (for the siderite ofHaidinger, FeCO3; siderite (of Daubr6e) is acurrent name for a class of meteorites)
Spessartine, not spessartite (the latter is highly
objectionable, since spessartite is a name for arock containing no spessartine)
Sphalerite, not blende or zincblende
Spherocobaltite, not cobaltocalcite or sphaerocobaltite#Spodumene, not triphane
Stilbite, not desmineTenorite, not melaconite
Tetrahedrite, not panabase or fahlerz (the last may
be used as a group name)tTorbernite, not chalcolite or cuprouranite
Uranite (group name; not uranmica or Uranglimmer)
Valentinite, not exit61e
Wernerite to be the species, scapolite the group
name
The following sets of names include a few thathave not been considered by the Commission andothers on which the Commission has not reacheda firm decision; in each case the first name listed
will be used in Mineral. Mag. Four of these sets
were included in the report of the Anglo-American
Committee on nomenclature (Am. Mineral. I936,21, I9I ) and are distinguished by an asterisk*; thefirst name was recommended and adopted in
Mineral. Mag.:
Allanite (orthite)
Baryte (barite, barytine, barytite, Schwerspath)
Ceylonite (pleonaste, Zeylanit)
Chalcosine (chalcosite, chalcocite, Chalkosin)
Cosmochlore (ureyite, kosmochlor)
Hydrocyanite (chalcocyanite)*Idocrase (vesuvianite, vesuvian, Idokras)*Kyanite (cyanite, cianite, disthene)
Pyrrhotine (pyrrhotite)
Sahlite (salite)*Sphene (titanite [of Klaproth; titanite of Kirwanwas rutile])lO54

SHORT COMMUNICATIONS*Stibnite (stibine, antimonite)
Sz/tjbelyite (ascharite)
Talmessite (belovite [of Nefedov], arsenatebelovite)
Either eggonite or kolbeckite may be used for
S c P O 4 " 2 H 2 0 (the Commission's vote was notdecisive); the name sterrettite should be abandoned.
Attention is also called to the correction (M.M.
43, 824): schmiederite, not schmeiderite.
The Anglo-American report was accepted by apoll of M i n e r a l Soc. America members (Am.
Mineral. 1939, 24, 176), and hailed as a big step
forward: 'A few of the approved names may seem
unusual to some of our members, but the BritishCommittee was most generous in yielding some of
their preferred names. The compromise list is an
example of the benefits to be derived from a mutual"give and take" policy . . . . uniformity in usage ingreat part seems assured, at least with the Englishspeaking people of the world.' It is a pity this hope
has not been fulfilled, presumably because of frequent changes in the editorship of Am. Mineral.
The Report made recommendations in respect ofthirty-seven sets of names; the I M A Commission
failed to agree on the four mentioned above, but
endorsed nine, which are indicated by a daggermark t in the list of the Commission's recommendations. For the remaining twenty-four sets,
the name recommended by the Report appears tohave now become universally accepted, at least in
English.
The reports of the subcommittees on Amphiboles and on the Pyrochlore family appear inMineral. Mug. 42, 533-63 (I978) and Am. Mineral.
62, 4o3-1o (1977) respectively, and should be
followed in naming minerals belonging to thesegroups. A guide to the correct use of prefixes,suffixes, and adjectival modifiers to mineral names
has been approved by the Commission, andappears in Am. Mineral. 65, 223- 4 (198o) and in
Can. Mineral. 18, 26I (198o). The I M A - I U Cryst.
Joint Committee's report on polytype notation(Am. Mineral. 62, 4 t I-15 (I 977)) will also be founduseful.
Authors seeking to discredit a species should
endeavour to obtain holotype material if it still
exists, or at the very least topotype material, andshould submit their evidence to the Commission.
The Commission has approved the discrediting of
the following species, in addition to those listed inMineral. Mug. 38, lO 3 (I971):
Achrematite = mimetite + wulfenite (A.M. 62, 17o, 1977)
Alaskaite = a mixture including pavonite, gustavite,tetrahedrite, and sphalerite (A.M. 58, 349, 1973)
Allcharite--- goethite (Bull. 92, 99, I969)
Allopalladium = Stibiopalladinite (A.M. 63, 796, I978)

Anauxite = kaolinite (A.M. 54, 206, I969)
Arsenodialytite (Bull. 97, 520, 1974)
Ashtonite = strontian mordenite (M.M. 38, 383, 1971)
Astrolite = muscovite (A.M. 57, 993, 1971)
Basiliite = hausmannite+feitknechtite (A.M. 58, 562,I973)
Bisbeeite = chrysocolla
Blanchardite = brochantite (A.M. 58, 562, 1973)
Brostenite = birnessite +todoorokite (M.A. 74-34o8)
Calciotantalite = microlite+tantalite, in part stannian(M.M. 38, 765, 1972)
Chile-16weite = humberstonite (M.A. 7o-1634)
Chloroarsenian = allactite (A.M. 58, 562, 1973)
Chrominium = phoenicochroite (Bull. 95, 427, 1972)Dehrnite =carbonatian fluorapatite (M.M. 42, 282,1978)
Droogmansite = kasolitc (Bull. 101, 561, 1978)
Eardleyite = takovite (A.M. 62, 458, 1977)
Forbesite = cobaltian annabergite + arsenolite (Can.
Mineral. 14, 4 I4)Frigidite = tatrahedrite+Ni sulphides (M.M. 43, 99,I979)
Glockerite = cryptocrystalline lepidocrocite (A.M. 62,599, 1977)
Karpinskyite = leifite + a Zn-bearing clay (A.M. 57, lOO6,I972)
Khlopinite = samarskite (A.M. 57, 329, I972 )Khuniite = iranite (A.M. 61, 186, I976)
Knipovichite = chromian alumohydrocalcite (A.M. 61,341, 1976)
Kolskite = lizardite + sepiolite (A.M. 59, 2 ~2, 1974)
Kyanophyllite = paragonite+muscovite (A.M. 58, 8o7,1973)
Lewistonite = carbonatian fluorapatite (M.M. 42, 282,I978)
Lorettoite is an artificial product (A.M. 64, 13o3, 1979)
Magnetostibian = jacobsite (A.M. 58, 562, 1973)
Mohsite = crichtonite (Can. Mineral. 17, 635, 1979)
Nenadkevite = mixture of uraninite, etc (A.M. 62, 126 I,1977; not submitted to the Commission)
Neotantalite = microlite (Bull. 95, 451, I972 )Oryzite = epistilbite (A.M. 57, 592, 1972)
Pleonectite = hedyphane (A.M. 58, 562, 1973)
Pleurasite = a mixture, mainly sarkinite (A.M. 58, 562,1973)
Pyrrhoarsenite = berzeliite (A.M. 58, 562, I973)
Retinostibian (Bull. 97, 52o, I974)
Rhodoarsenian = rhodonite (A.M. 58, 562, I973)
Salmonsite = hureaulite +jahnsite (M.M. 42, 3o9, I978)
Scheibeite (of Miicke) = phoenicochroite (Bull. 95, 427,I972)
Sehuehardtite = mixture of vermiculite-like and chloritelike nickelian minerals (A.M. 64, 1334, 1979)
Sj6grufvite = caryinite (A.M. 58, 562, 1973)
Slavyanskite = tunisite (in press)
Sungulite = mixture of lizardite and sepiolite (A.M. 59,212, 1974)
Svitalskite = celadonite (A.M. 63, 796, 1978)
Trudellite = natroalunite + chloraluminite (A.M. 57,I006, 1972)
Zirconolite and Zirkelite (of Blake and Smith) = zirkelite(of Hussak and Prior (A.M. 60, 34I, I975)

SHORTCOMMUNICATIONSThe C o m m i s s i o n ' s success m a y be m e a s u r e d by
the falling n u m b e r of new n a m e s published w i t h o u t
their approval: in 197o , ~5 new n a m e s were so
published, only I of which was subsequently
accepted by the C o m m i s s i o n ; in 1977, of 6 new
Alazanite
Aldzhanite
Altmarkite
Anarakite
Argentocuproaurite
Aurocuprite
Beta-brocenite
Brocenite
Carr~evallite
Chengbolite
Chromephlogopite
Chrominium
Craigite
Cyclowollastonite

Io55

n a m e s published without prior approval, I, an
artificial p r o d u c t n o w found naturally, wasaccepted, 2 rejected, a n d a n inconclusive vote wasrecorded on 3- The n a m e s rejected for the period
I969-77 are:Dayingite
Mangantapiolite
Dosulite
Miomirite
Fenghuanglite
Miropolskite
Ferrohalotrichite
Mrazekite
Feuerrnineral
Murgocite
Guanglinite
Ortho-armalcolite
Hexastibiopalladite
Osurnilite- (K,Mg)
Hydroealcite*
Para-armalcolite
Hydrorinkite
Para-boleite
Isoplatinocopper
Parapectolite
Isowolframite
Parastrengite
Khuniite
Paravariscite
Macrokaolinite
Pharaonite
Maigruen
Plumangite* Of Marschner; not the hydrocalcite of Kosmann, i892.
"~ Of Miicke; not the scheibeite of yon Linstow, 1912.

Plumboallophane
Scheibeiteq?
Silicomonazite
TaiyiteTanzanite
Thorgadolinite
Tozalite
Udokanite
Velikite
Wolframixiolite
Yanzhongite
Yenshanite

ADDENDUM
A useful list of discredited and of redefined clay silicates appears in Clay Science [Japan], 5, 209-20, I979.

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