Müllerite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Müllerite
Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein
Formula:
Pb2Fe3+(Te6+O6)Cl
Colour:
Yellow, tending to reddish-orange
Lustre:
Sub-Adamantine, Greasy
Hardness:
2
Specific Gravity:
5.812 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Trigonal
Name:
Named in honor of Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein (1 July 1740 or 4 October 1742 – 12 October 1825 or 1826, Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria)), mineralogist and mining engineer. During his time in Transylvania he discovered tellurium in 1782.
Co-Type Localities:
ⓘ Aga Mine, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
ⓘ Bird Nest drift, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
ⓘ Bird Nest E3, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
ⓘ Bird Nest drift, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
ⓘ Bird Nest E3, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
54026
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:54026:7
GUID
(UUID V4):
(UUID V4):
52de4ef8-e73a-420a-9004-81e18f25167b
IMA Classification of Müllerite
Approved
Approval year:
2019
First published:
2020
Classification of Müllerite
7.BC.47
7 : SULFATES (selenates, tellurates, chromates, molybdates, wolframates)
B : Sulfates (selenates, etc.) with additional anions, without H2O
C : With medium-sized and large cations
7 : SULFATES (selenates, tellurates, chromates, molybdates, wolframates)
B : Sulfates (selenates, etc.) with additional anions, without H2O
C : With medium-sized and large cations
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mül | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Müllerite
Sub-Adamantine, Greasy
Colour:
Yellow, tending to reddish-orange
Streak:
Pale-yellow
Hardness:
2 on Mohs scale
Comment:
∼2
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Perfect
on {001}
on {001}
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven
Density:
5.812 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Chemistry of Müllerite
Mindat Formula:
Pb2Fe3+(Te6+O6)Cl
Crystallography of Müllerite
Crystal System:
Trigonal
Class (H-M):
3 2 - Trapezohedral
Space Group:
P31 1 2
Setting:
P31 1 2
Cell Parameters:
a = 5.2043(3) Å, c = 8.963(1) Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 1.722
Unit Cell V:
210.24 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Morphology:
Hexagonal tablets, thin plates up to 0.2 mm across, intergrown ball-like clusters, flakes. Main forms observed are {100} and {001}.
Comment:
The space group is reported as "P312"
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 4.495 Å | (40) |
| 4.009 Å | (14) |
| 3.174 Å | (100) |
| 2.597 Å | (54) |
| 2.247 Å | (20) |
| 2.009 Å | (32) |
| 1.697 Å | (25) |
| 1.590 Å | (31) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47a : [Near-surface hydration of prior minerals] |
Type Occurrence of Müllerite
Co-Type Localities:
ⓘ Aga Mine, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
ⓘ Bird Nest drift, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
ⓘ Bird Nest E3, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
ⓘ Bird Nest drift, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
ⓘ Bird Nest E3, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA
General Appearance of Type Material:
As hexagonal tablets and thin plates up to 0.2 mm across, intergrown ball-like clusters, and scattered flakes
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
(1) mineralogical collections of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90007, USA, catalogue numbers 73609 (SW Cut), 73610 (E3 vein), 73611 (Bird Nest drift) and 73612 (Aga mine); (2) mineralogical collections of the Museums Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne 3001, Victoria, Australia, specimen number M54913 (Aga mine) (cotypes)
Empirical Formula of Type Material:
Pb1.83Ag0.26Fe0.93Al0.03Cu0.02Te6+0.95O5.56Cl1.30I0.14
Reference:
Mills, S. J., Kampf, A. R. Komma, K., Housley, R.M. & Marty, J. (2020) Müllerite, the Fe-analogue of backite from Otto Mountain, California, USA. The Canadian Mineralogist (2020) 58 (4): 413–419
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 7.BC. | Adranosite-(Fe) | (NH4)4NaFe3+2(SO4)4Cl(OH)2 |
| 7.BC. | Adranosite | (NH4)4NaAl2(SO4)4Cl(OH)2 |
| 7.BC. | D'Ansite-(Mn) | Na21Mn2+(SO4)10Cl3 |
| 7.BC. | Agaite | Pb3CuTeO5(OH)2(CO3) |
| 7.BC. | D'Ansite-(Fe) | Na21Fe2+(SO4)10Cl3 |
| 7.BC. | Acmonidesite | (NH4,K,Pb)8NaFe2+4(SO4)5Cl8 |
| 7.BC. | Backite | Pb2AlTeO6Cl |
| 7.BC. | Hagstromite | Pb8Cu2+(Te6+O6)2(CO3)Cl4 |
| 7.BC. | Wildcatite | CaFe3+Te6+O5(OH) |
| 7.BC. | Franksousaite | PbCu(Se6+O4)(OH)2 |
| 7.BC. | Zincochenite | Pb4Zn(OH)6(SO4)2 |
| 7.BC. | Viskontite | Pb5Cu2(SO4)3(SeO3)(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.05 | D'Ansite | Na21Mg(SO4)10Cl3 |
| 7.BC.07 | Apatelite | Fe3(SO4)2(OH)5 · 0.5H2O |
| 7.BC.07 | Unnamed (Ba-Fe Vanadate) | Ba, Fe, V, O, H |
| 7.BC.10 | Alunite | KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Ammonioalunite | (NH4)Al3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Ammoniojarosite | (NH4)Fe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Argentojarosite | AgFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Beaverite-(Cu) | Pb(Fe3+2Cu)(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Dorallcharite | TlFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Huangite | Ca0.5Al3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Hydroniumjarosite | (H3O)Fe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Jarosite | KFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Natroalunite-2c | (Na,Ca0.5,K)Al3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Natroalunite | NaAl3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Natrojarosite | NaFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Osarizawaite | Pb(Al2Cu2+)(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Plumbojarosite | Pb0.5Fe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Schlossmacherite | (H3O)Al3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Walthierite | Ba0.5Al3(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.10 | Beaverite-(Zn) | Pb(Fe3+2Zn)(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.15 | Ye'elimite | Ca4Al6(SO4)O12 |
| 7.BC.20 | Atlasovite | K(BiO)Cu6Fe3+(SO4)5O3Cl |
| 7.BC.20 | Nabokoite | KCu7(SO4)5(Te4+O3)OCl |
| 7.BC.20 | Puninite | Na2Cu3O(SO4)3 |
| 7.BC.25 | Chlorothionite | K2Cu(SO4)Cl2 |
| 7.BC.30 | Euchlorine | KNaCu3(SO4)3O |
| 7.BC.30 | Fedotovite | K2Cu3(SO4)3O |
| 7.BC.35 | Kamchatkite | KCu3(SO4)2OCl |
| 7.BC.40 | Piypite | K4Cu4O2(SO4)4 · (Na,Cu)Cl |
| 7.BC.45 | Klyuchevskite | K3Cu3(Fe3+,Al)(SO4)4O2 |
| 7.BC.45 | Alumoklyuchevskite | K3Cu3(Al,Fe3+)(SO4)4O2 |
| 7.BC.45 | Belousovite | KZn(SO4)Cl |
| 7.BC.50 | Caledonite | Pb5Cu2(SO4)3(CO3)(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.50 | Elasmochloite | Na3Cu6BiO4(SO4)5 |
| 7.BC.52 | Eleomelanite | (K2Pb)Cu4O2(SO4)4 |
| 7.BC.55 | Wherryite | Pb7Cu2(SO4)4(SiO4)2(OH)2 |
| 7.BC.55 | Falgarite | K4(VO)3(SO4)5 |
| 7.BC.57 | Krasheninnikovite | KNa2CaMg(SO4)3F |
| 7.BC.60 | Mammothite | Pb6Cu4AlSb5+O2(OH)16Cl4(SO4)2 |
| 7.BC.60 | Wulffite | K3NaCu4O2(SO4)4 |
| 7.BC.60 | Parawulffite | K5Na3Cu8O4(SO4)8 |
| 7.BC.62 | Shuvalovite | K2(Ca2Na)(SO4)3F |
| 7.BC.65 | Linarite | PbCu(SO4)(OH)2 |
| 7.BC.65 | Schmiederite | Pb2Cu2(Se6+O4)(Se4+O3)(OH)4 |
| 7.BC.65 | Munakataite | Pb2Cu2(Se4+O3)(SO4)(OH)4 |
| 7.BC.65 | Therasiaite | (NH4)3KNa2Fe2+Fe3+(SO4)3Cl5 |
| 7.BC.65 | Saccoite | Ca2Mn3+2F(OH)8 · 0.5(SO4) |
| 7.BC.70 | Chenite | Pb4Cu(SO4)2(OH)6 |
| 7.BC.75 | Krivovichevite | Pb3Al(OH)6(SO4)(OH) |
| 7.BC.80 | Anhydrokainite | KMg(SO4)Cl |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Müllerite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-54026.html
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References for Müllerite
Reference List:
Miyawaki, Ritsuro, Hatert, Frédéric, Pasero, Marco, Mills, Stuart J. (2020) IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) - Newsletter 52. European Journal of Mineralogy, 32 (1) 1-11 doi:10.5194/ejm-32-1-2020
Localities for Müllerite
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
USA | |
| Marek Chorazewicz (2023) |
| Miyawaki et al. (2020) +1 other reference |
| Miyawaki et al. (2020) +1 other reference |
| Miyawaki et al. (2020) +1 other reference |
| Miyawaki et al. (2020) +1 other reference | |
| Kampf et al. (2022) |
Bird Nest E3, Otto Mountain, Baker, Soda Mountains, Silver Lake Mining District, San Bernardino County, California, USA