Tomichite, a New Oxide Mineral from Western Australia

E. H. Nickel and I. E. Grey
Division of Mineralogy, CSIRO, Wembley, WA, Australia, 6014
Division of Mineral Chemistry, CSIRO, PO Box 124, Port Melbourne, Vic., Australia, 3207

Summary: Tomichite, (V,Fe)4Ti3AsO13(OH), a new mineral species related to derbylite, has been found in the ‘green leader’ gold lodes at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. It is monoclinic, with space group P21/m or P21; a = 7.119 (3), b = 14.176 (5), c = 4.992 (2) Å, β = 105.05 (I)°, Z = 2. Strongest diffraction lines: 3.092 (4), 2.836 (9), 2.663 (10), 1.572 (5). Tomichite occurs as tiny euhedral crystals in quartz; associated minerals are vanadian muscovite, rutile, pyrite, and calaverite. Tomichite is black, has a black streak, lacks internal reflections, is moderately anisotropic, and has S.G. = 4.16 (meas.), 4.42 (calc.). Reflectivity values are 470 nm-15.9%, 546 nm-16.3%, 589 nm 16.6%. Microhardness is VHN 800, using 50 g load.

Mineralogical Magazine; December 1979 v. 43; no. 328; p. 469-471; DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1979.043.328.04
© 1979, The Mineralogical Society
Mineralogical Society (www.minersoc.org)