Learn all about Putnisite, the new mineral

New Mineral Unlike Any Other Discovered In Australia: Learn All About Putnisite

A new mineral unlike any other has been discovered in Australia. This mineral is known as Putnisite after Dr. Andrew and Christine Putnis who made notable contributions in the field of mineralogy. Putnisite occurs in the form of isolated pseudocubic crystals in earth. Each of the putnisite crystals is 0.5 mm in diameter. Putnisite has qualities similar to quartz. This mineral is translucent. It has a pink streak and it is brittle.

The qualities of a mineral are determined by its chemistry and crystallography. The structure of the mineral’s crystal can be studied using x-ray. Along with this, the chemical analysis of its constituents also influences its properties. Usually minerals are either part of a family or group of related minerals. Otherwise, they are synthetic compounds. Putnisite has the distinction of being unique and unrelated to any other mineral on earth.

Putnisite is composed of calcium, strontium, sulfur, chromium, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. This mineral has a density of 2.23 g/cm3. This mineral was discovered by a researcher from the University of Adelaide in Australia. This new mineral is unique in its structure and composition. It is not part of any of the 4000 known mineral species in the world.

This mineral was found in a surface outcrop at Lake Cowan located to the north of Norseman in West Australia. Apart from its unique chemistry and crystallography, this mineral is one of the most exciting discoveries in the world of mineralogy. This new mineral has small crystals measuring 0.5 mm in diameter. Putnisite is found on a volcanic rock. This mineral is in the form of dark pink spots on green and white rock. Its crystals appear square shaped and cube like. It is still too early to say if practical applications can be found for this mineral.

The mineral was discovered when a mining company was engaged in prospecting in Western Australia. In the past seven years, as many as 12 new Australian minerals have been discovered. 2 of the recently discovered minerals were found in the southern part of this nation. The first of these was domerockite named after Dome Rock where the mineral was first discovered. Hylbrownite was the other mineral which was named after an erstwhile government geologist of South Australia, Henry Yorke Lyle Brown.

Putnisite has softness similar to gypsum. This may make it useful for commercial purposes. The value of this mineral will depend upon its rarity. The discovery of new minerals has always been exciting for the world. Often, new minerals are also discovered on meteorites. For instance, a mineral called Panguite was discovered in a meteorite which reached earth during the sixties. This is one of the oldest minerals in the solar system. Scientists suggest it could provide clues regarding the birth of our planet.

Panguite was an exciting discovery because this new mineral comprises of material previously unknown to scientists. Named after Pan Gu who is the creator of the universe according to Chinese mythology, this mineral arrived on earth in the Allende meteorite which fell on our planet in the year 1969. Allende was a primitive meteorite. It was more than 4.5 billion years old.

This meteorite was thought to contain many substances that have been in transition since the solar system was born. Certain fragments of this meteorite came into existence tens of millions of years before our planet was formed. Allende has acquired the status of being the most studied meteorite in the history of mankind. It has been associated with many new discoveries.

Nearly 9 new minerals have been discovered apart from panguite on this meteorite. Allende is being studied by researchers since 2007 at CalTech and much remains to be unearthed about the mysteries of the universe through this research. Similarly, important and useful applications could be found about putnisite in the world as well. Apart from the excitement of discovering a new mineral, scientists are also interested in finding helpful applications of this substance.