Syngenite is an uncommon potassium calcium
sulfate mineral
The sulfate minerals are a class of minerals that include the sulfate ion () within their structure. The sulfate minerals occur commonly in primary evaporite depositional environments, as gangue minerals in hydrothermal veins and as secondary mine ...
with formula K
2Ca(SO
4)
2·H
2O. It forms as prismatic
monoclinic
In crystallography, the monoclinic crystal system is one of the seven crystal systems. A crystal system is described by three vectors. In the monoclinic system, the crystal is described by vectors of unequal lengths, as in the orthorhombic s ...
crystals and as encrustations.
Discovery and occurrence
It was first described in 1872 for an occurrence as
druse on
halite
Halite (), commonly known as rock salt, is a type of salt, the mineral (natural) form of sodium chloride ( Na Cl). Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, p ...
in the Kalusa Salt deposit, Ivanovo-Frankovsk Oblast',
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
.
[ The name is from Greek 'συγγενής' (''related'') due to its chemical similarity to ]polyhalite
Polyhalite is an evaporite mineral, a hydrated sulfate of potassium, calcium and magnesium with formula: . Polyhalite crystallizes in the triclinic system, although crystals are very rare. The normal habit is massive to fibrous. It is typically co ...
.[
It occurs in marine ]evaporite
An evaporite () is a water-soluble sedimentary mineral deposit that results from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporite deposits: marine, which can also be described as ocea ...
deposits as a diagenetic
Diagenesis () is the process that describes physical and chemical changes in sediments first caused by water-rock interactions, microbial activity, and compaction after their deposition. Increased pressure and temperature only start to play a ...
phase. It also forms as a volcanic sublimate
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...
, as vein fillings in geothermal fields and in cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
s where it is derived from bat guano
Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. ...
. It occurs in association with halite and arcanite
Arcanite is a potassium sulfate mineral with formula: K2SO4.
Arcanite was first described in 1845 for an occurrence in old pine railroad ties in the Santa Ana tin mine, Trabuco Canyon, Santa Ana Mountains, Orange County, California, US. It has als ...
in salt deposits; and with biphosphammite, aphthitalite
Aphthitalite is a potassium sulfate mineral with the chemical formula: (K,Na)3Na(SO4)2.
It was first described in 1835 for an occurrence on Mount Vesuvius, Italy. The name is from the Greek άφθητος, "unalterable", and άλας, "salt", for ...
, monetite, whitlockite
Whitlockite is a mineral, an unusual form of calcium phosphate. Its formula is Ca9(Mg Fe)(PO4)6PO3O H. It is a relatively rare mineral but is found in granitic pegmatites, phosphate rock deposits, guano caves and in chondrite meteorites. It was f ...
, uricite
Uricite is a rare organic mineral form of uric acid, C5H4N4O3. It is a soft yellowish white mineral which crystallizes in the monoclinic system.
Discovery and occurrence
It was first described in 1973 for an occurrence in bat guano in Dingo Donga ...
, brushite
Brushite is a phosphate mineral with the chemical formula . Crystals of the pure compound belong to the monoclinic space group C2/c and are colorless.[gypsum
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...]
in cave environments.[
It is also found in hardened cement which has relatively higher amount of potassium. ]
Production
Syngenite can be artificially produced by the action of a potassium sulfate
Potassium sulfate (US) or potassium sulphate (UK), also called sulphate of potash (SOP), arcanite, or archaically potash of sulfur, is the inorganic compound with formula K2SO4, a white water-soluble solid. It is commonly used in fertilizers, pro ...
solution on gypsum
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...
.[ ]
References
{{reflist
Bibliography
*Palache, P.; Berman H.; Frondel, C. (1960). "''Dana's System of Mineralogy, Volume II: Halides, Nitrates, Borates, Carbonates, Sulfates, Phosphates, Arsenates, Tungstates, Molybdates, Etc. (Seventh Edition)"'' John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, pp. 442-444.
Sulfate minerals
Monoclinic minerals
Minerals in space group 11