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On the application of the IMA−CNMNC dominant-valency rule to complex mineral compositions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2019

Ferdinando Bosi*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
Frédéric Hatert
Affiliation:
Vice-chair, IMA−CNMNC, Laboratory of Mineralogy, University of Liège, Bâtiment B-18, B–4000 Liège, Belgium
Ulf Hålenius
Affiliation:
Chair (2014−2018), IMA−CNMNC, Department of Geosciences, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden
Marco Pasero
Affiliation:
Vice-chair, IMA−CNMNC, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, Via S. Maria 53, I-56126 Pisa, Italy
Ritsuro Miyawaki
Affiliation:
Chair (2018−), IMA−CNMNC, Department of Geology and Paleontology, The National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1, Amakubo, Tsukuba 305-0005, Japan
Stuart J. Mills
Affiliation:
Secretary, IMA−CNMNC, Geosciences, Museums Victoria, P.O. Box 666, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
*
*Author for correspondence: Ferdinando Bosi, Email: ferdinando.bosi@uniroma1.it
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Abstract

Mineral species should be identified by an end-member formula and by using the dominant-valency rule as recommended by the IMA–CNMNC. However, the dominant-end-member approach has also been used in the literature. These two approaches generally converge, but for some intermediate compositions, significant differences between the dominant-valency rule and the dominant end-member approach can be observed. As demonstrated for garnet-supergroup minerals, for example, the end-member approach is ambiguous, as end-member proportions strongly depend on the calculation sequence. For this reason, the IMA–CNMNC strongly recommends the use of the dominant-valency rule for mineral nomenclature, because it alone may lead to unambiguous mineral identification. Although the simple application of the dominant-valency rule is successful for the identification of many mineral compositions, sometimes it leads to unbalanced end-member formulae, due to the occurrence of a coupled heterovalent substitution at two sites along with a heterovalent substitution at a single site. In these cases, it may be useful to use the site-total-charge approach to identify the dominant root-charge arrangement on which to apply the dominant-constituent rule. The dominant-valency rule and the site-total-charge approach may be considered two procedures complementary to each other for mineral identification. Their critical point is to find the most appropriate root-charge and atomic arrangements consistent with the overriding condition dictated by the end-member formula. These procedures were approved by the IMA−CNMNC in May 2019.

Information

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2019 
Figure 0

Fig. 1. Diagram for discriminating anorthite, albite and ‘K-feldspar’ according to the dominant-end-member approach (a) and the dominant-valency rule (b). In (c) the ternary miscibility gap calculated for P = 10 kbar and T = 1200°C (dashed black line) using the method of Kroll et al. (1993), is shown. Solid/dashed red lines are consistent with the dominant-end-member approach, whereas the solid blue lines are consistent with the dominant-valency rule. The grey colour highlights the area where the dominant-end-member approach and the dominant-valency rule diverge.

Figure 1

Fig. 2. Schematic representations of coupled heterovalent substitutions at two sites (a), followed by a heterovalent substitution at a single site (b) leading to the site-total-charge approach.

Figure 2

Fig. 3. Schematic representations of site total charge and atomic charge arrangements at the M(2) (a) and M(1) (b) sites of jervisite (see text).

Figure 3

Fig. 4. Diagram for discriminating the species in the schorlomite−andradite−morimotoite system: solid blue lines are consistent with the dominant-valency rule, whereas dashed red lines are consistent with the dominant-end-member approach (cf. with fig. 7 of Grew et al., 2013).

Figure 4

Fig. 5. Diagram for discriminating menzerite-(Y) from andradite and morimotoite: solid blue lines are consistent with the dominant-valency rule, whereas dashed red lines are consistent with the dominant-end-member approach (cf. with fig. 10 of Grew et al., 2013).