George-ericksenite

George-ericksenite is a mineral with the chemical formula Na6CaMg(IO3)6(CrO4)2(H2O)12. It is vitreous, pale yellow to bright lemon yellow, brittle, and features a prismatic to acicular crystal habit along [001] and somewhat flattened crystal habit on {110}. It was first encountered in 1984 at the Pinch Mineralogical Museum. One specimen of dietzeite from Oficina Chacabuco, Chile had bright lemon-yellow micronodules on it. These crystals produced an X-ray powder diffraction pattern that did not match any XRD data listed for inorganic compounds. The X-ray diffraction pattern and powder mount were set aside until 1994. By then, the entire mineral collection from the Pinch Mineralogical Museum had been purchased by the Canadian Museum of Nature. The specimen was then retrieved and studied further. This study was successful and the new mineral george-ericksenite was discovered. The mineral was named for George E. Ericksen who was a research economic geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey for fifty years. The mineral and name have been approved by Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names (IMA). The specimen, polished thin section, and the actual crystal used for the structure determination are kept in the Display Series of the National Mineral Collection of Canada at the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario.