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Letter to the Editor on Fougerite

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Clays and Clay Minerals

Abstract

Fougerite (IMA 2003-057) was accepted by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) in 2004 as a new mineral to represent the green rust (GR) family. The data on which it was approved, however, are inconsistent. X-ray diffraction patterns from the Fouge`res soils contain no peaks that could meaningfully be attributed to a GR phase. The sequential dissolution procedure used to identify GR in the soils was not rigorously tested for selectivity. If indeed it is selective, the results indicate the presence of 40–78% Fe in minerals other than GR. Other Fe-bearing phases were not included in the interpretation of the spectroscopy data that were presented. The data are consistent with the presence of Fe-bearing clays and other silicate minerals. In light of the ambiguous and conflicting data, we recommend that the case for fougerite as a mineral be re-evaluated by the IMA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

    B. C. Christiansen, K. Dideriksen, L. L. Skovbjerg, S. Nedel & S. L. S. Stipp

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  1. B. C. Christiansen
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  2. K. Dideriksen
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  3. L. L. Skovbjerg
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  4. S. Nedel
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  5. S. L. S. Stipp
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Correspondence to B. C. Christiansen.

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Christiansen, B.C., Dideriksen, K., Skovbjerg, L.L. et al. Letter to the Editor on Fougerite. Clays Clay Miner. 59, 3–9 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.2011.0590102

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.2011.0590102

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