Global new discovery No. 1 in 2022!

The Henan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources announced on the 3rd that a Chinese scientific research team discovered and named a new natural mineral, pyroxenite, at the Yindongpo gold mine in Tongbai County, Henan Province.

2022 is the Year of Mineralogy recognized by the International Mineralogical Association. The newly discovered argyrite is the No. 1 newly discovered mineral in the world in 2022.

According to the relevant person in charge of the Henan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, the empty iron chalcopyrite discovered this time was produced in the Yindongpo gold mine in Tongbai County. After systematic mineralogical research on its physical properties, chemical composition, crystal structure and spectroscopic characteristics, the research team confirmed that it is a new mineral of the chalcopyrite family that has not yet been discovered in nature.

A specimen of pyroxene found in Tongbai, Henan Province, about 15 cm high. Photo courtesy of Henan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources

The specimens of pyroxenite collected by researchers show that it is gray-black in color, gray under reflected light, and has brown-red internal reflection. It has an opaque metallic luster and black streaks. It is brittle and has an irregular fracture. It coexists closely with minerals such as sphalerite, sphalerite, galena, pyroxenite and pyrite.

According to the research team of Henan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, argentite is the most silver-rich chalcopyrite mineral in nature, with a silver content of up to 52.3%. As a common mineral in hydrothermal deposits, silver-bearing chalcopyrite not only has important economic value, but its silver content is also an indicator parameter of mineralization temperature, which is of great significance to the study of the genesis of the deposit.

The unique structure of chalcopyrite is praised by the international mineralogy community as the unsolved mystery of the chalcopyrite family. Its outstanding performance in catalysis, chemical sensing and optoelectronic functions has become a hot topic in the field of silver cluster research. As a mineral structure found in nature, the formation mechanism of chalcopyrite will provide a new reference for artificial synthetic materials.

It is understood that the research was completed by six units in cooperation, including the Third Geological and Mineral Survey Institute of the Henan Provincial Bureau of Geological and Mineral Exploration and Development, Tianjin Geological Survey Center of the China Geological Survey, Nanjing University, Central South University, Beijing Institute of Geology of Nuclear Industry and China University of Geosciences.

Source: Science Popularization China WeChat Official Account