Global InformationEdoylerite information
| Edoylerite | |
|---|---|
 Yellow acicular crystals of the very rare mercury mineral edoylerite from the Clear Ceek mine (Clear Creek Claim, Goat Mountain, New Idria, San Benito County, California, United States of America), famous for its paragenesis of very rare Hg minerals, associated to red cinnabar. Edoylerite is a mercury chromate. Ex.Dr Hartel collection. | |
| General | |
| Category | Chromate |
| Formula (repeating unit) | Hg32+Cr6+O4S2 |
| IMA symbol | Eoy[1] |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Space group | P21/a |
| Unit cell | a = 7.524 Å, b = 14.819 Å c = 7.443 Å; α=90.00° β=118.72°, γ=90.00° |
| Identification | |
| Color | Canary yellow to orangish yellow |
| Crystal habit | Acicular to Prismatic crystals |
| Cleavage | Distinct/Good {010}. Fair {101} |
| Fracture | Sub-Conchoidal |
| Tenacity | Brittle and Inflexible |
| Luster | Adamantine |
| Streak | yellow |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque masses to transparent or translucent individual crystals |
| Specific gravity | 7.11 |
| Density | 7.13 g/cm3 |
| Optical properties | Biaxial |
| Birefringence | Weak |
| Pleochroism | Weak with light grey colors |
| Ultraviolet fluorescence | Nonfluorescent |
| References | [2][3][4][5] |
Edoylerite is a rare mercury-containing mineral. Edoylerite was first discovered in 1961 by Edward H. Oyler, whom the mineral is named after, in a meter-sized boulder at the Clear Creek claim in San Benito County, California. The Clear Creek claim is located near the abandoned Clear Creek mercury mine. The material from the boulder underwent several analyses including, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), a single crystal study, and a preliminary electron microprobe analysis (EMA). Using these analyses it was determined that this was a new mineral but the nature of the material at the time prevented further investigation. It was not until 1986, with the discovery of crystals large enough for a crystal structure determination and a sufficient quantity for a full mineralogical characterization, that the study was renewed. The new edoylerite crystals were found in the same area at the Clear Creek claim but were situated in an outcrop of silica-carbonate rock. This silica-carbonate rock was mineralized by cinnabar following the hydrothermal alteration of the serpentinite in the rock. Edoylerite is a primary alteration product of cinnabar. Though found with cinnabar, the crystals of edoylerite do not typically exceed 0.5mm in length. The ideal chemical formula for edoylerite is Hg32+Cr6+O4S2 [2]
- ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- ^ a b Erd, C.R., Roberts, C.A., Bonardi, M., Criddle, J.A., Page, L.Y., Gabe, J.E., 1993, Edoylerite, Hg(2+)3Cr(6+)O4S2, a new mineral from the Clear Creek Claim, San Benito County, California: Mineralogical Record, v.24 p.471-475.
- ^ Burns, P.C.,1999, The structure of edoylerite determined from a microcrystal: The Canadian Mineralogist, v.37 p113-118.
- ^ Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2021, Edoylerite: https://www.mindat.org/min-1354.html (accessed November 2021)
- ^ Webmineral, 2021, Edoylerite: http://webmineral.com/data/Edoylerite.shtml (accessed December 2021)