Studenitsite is a rare

borate mineral The borate minerals are minerals which contain a borate anion group. The borate (BO3) units may be polymerised similar to the SiO4 unit of the silicate mineral class. This results in B2O5, B3O6, B2O4 anions as well as more complex structures wh ...

with chemical formula of NaCa₂ ₉O₁₄(OH)₄�2H₂O. Studenitsite has a vitreous luster, a Mohs hardness of 6 and color of light-dirty yellow. It is a

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 ...

mineral and belongs to the space group P2/c.Jambor, L.John.(1996) New Mineral Names.American Mineralogist, 81, 1284. The basic unit of the crystal structure ₉O₁₄(OH)₄-layers has a Miller Index of (001). Studenitsite has a low surface relief, which means the measure of the relative difference between the index of refraction of the mineral and surrounding medium is small. Birefringence is the difference between two principal indices of refraction of a uniaxial crystal. Studenitsite has a maximum birefringent value of δ = 0.032. Studenitsite has three indices of refraction. Their values are nα = 1.532, nβ = 1.538, nγ = 1.564. Indices of refraction are the ratio of the light's speed in the mineral and the medium. Studenitsite is an extremely rare mineral that has only been found in the Piskaya deposit, Yarondolskii Basin, on the

Ibar River The Ibar ( sr-cyrl, Ибар, ), also known as the Ibër and Ibri ( sq, Ibër, Ibri), is a river that flows through eastern Montenegro, northern Kosovo and central Serbia, with a total length of . The river begins in the Hajla mountain, in Rož ...

, 280 km south of Belgrade, Serbia. The deposit is classified as a volcanogenic-sedimentary borate deposit with

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

and

carbonate mineral Carbonate minerals are those minerals containing the carbonate ion, . Carbonate divisions Anhydrous carbonates *Calcite group: trigonal ** Calcite CaCO3 ** Gaspéite (Ni,Mg,Fe2+)CO3 ** Magnesite MgCO3 ** Otavite CdCO3 **Rhodochrosite MnCO3 ** ...

s. It occurs associated with colemanite,

howlite Howlite, a calcium borosilicate hydroxide (calcium, Ca2boron, B5silicon, Sioxygen, O9(Ohydrogen, H)5), is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits.ulexite Ulexite (NaCaB5O6(OH)6·5H2O, hydrated sodium calcium borate hydroxide), sometimes known as TV rock or Television stone, is a mineral occurring in silky white rounded crystalline masses or in parallel fibers. The natural fibers of ulexite conduc ...

and pentahydroborite. It is a rare but important mineral for understanding the volcanic settings in Western Serbia. It was named after the Studenica

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

near the discovery location.

References

{{reflist Calcium minerals Sodium minerals Phylloborates Monoclinic minerals Minerals in space group 14

See also

References