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The Niederschlema-Alberoda uranium deposit, in the Erzgebirge region of Germany, contains an uncommon assemblage of metallic minerals, in particular selenides, sulfides, arsenides, tellurides, and native elements, in addition to uraninite and coffinite. The complex mineralogy resulted from the superposition of several mineralizing events over the time interval from the Permian to the Cretaceous; these events introduced and redeposited a great variety of metallic elements within the hydrothermal uranium deposit (Pb, Ag, Cu, Hg, Tl, Bi, Co, Ni, As, Sb, Se, S, Te). One of the exotic minerals is jolliffeite, an arsenoselenide with end-member composition NiAsSe, so far only known from Lake Athabasca, Saskatchewan, Canada. A single, small, anhedral grain of jolliffeite from Niederschlema-Alberoda is included and partly replaced by sulfurian eskebornite. Associated minerals comprise hematite, Ni-Co-Se-bearing lollingite, clausthalite, tiemannite, mercurian hakite-giraudite solid solutions, sulfurian berzelianite, sulfurian umangite, hessite, Ni-Co-As-bearing pyrite, and Se-rich chalcopyrite. The sulfurian jolliffeite has the empirical formula (Ni0.85Cu0.09Co0.05Fe0.02Ag0.01)Sigma(1.02)As(0.98)(Se0.77S0.23)(Sigma1. 00) and differs from type jolliffeite mainly by substantial substitution of Cu (2.6-3.3 wt.%) for Ni and S (3.2-4.1 wt.%) for Se. Substantial S-for-Se substitution in jolliffeite implies extensive and probably complete miscibility between NiAsSe and its S-dominant analogue, gersdorffite-Pa3 (NiAsS). We suggest that a localized accumulation of Ni and As in the Se-(S)-bearing hydrothermal fluid gave rise to the crystallization of jolliffeite at some rare locations at a late stage of formation of the Jurassic selenide assemblage
A system based on variation of the octahedrally coordinated cations is proposed for graphical presentation and subdivision of tri- and dioctahedral K micas, which makes use of elemental differences (in a.p.f.u.): (Mg - Li) [= mgli] and (Fe-tot + Mn + Ti - Al-VI) [= feal]. All common true tri- and dioctahedral K micas are shown in a single polygon outlined by seven main compositional points forming its vertices. Sequentially clockwise, starting from Mg-3 (phlogopite), these points are: Mg2.5Al0.5, Al(2.167)square(0.833), Al1.75Li1.25, Li2Al (polylithionite), Fe22+Li, and Fe-3(2+) (annite). Trilithionite (Li1.5Al1.5), Li1.5Fe2+Al0.5, Fe22+Mg, and Mg2Fe2+ are also located on the perimeter of the polygon. IMA-siderophyllite (Fe22+Al) and muscovite (Al(2)square) plot inside. The classification conforms with the IMA-approved mica nomenclature and differentiates among the following mica species according to their position in a diagram consisting of nigh and feal axes plotted orthogonally; trioctahedral: phlogopite, biotite, siderophyllite, annite, zinnwaldite, lepidolite and tainiolite: dioctahedral: muscovite, phengite and celadonite. Potassium micas with [Si] <2.5 a.p.f.u. including IMA-siderophyllite, KFe22+AlAl2Si2O10(OH)(2), and IMA-eastonite, KMg2AlAl2Si2O10(OH)(2) seem not to form in nature. The proposed subdivision has several advantages. All common true, trioctahedral and dioctahedral K micas, whether Li-bearing or Li-free, are shown within one diagram, which is easy to use and gives every mica composition an unambiguously defined name. Mica analyses with Fe2+, Fe3+, Fe2+ + Fe3+, or Fe-tot can be considered, which is particularly Valuable for microprobe analyses. It facilitates easy reconstruction of evolutionary pathways of mica compositions during crystallization, a feature having key importance in petrologically oriented research. Equally important, the subdivision has great potential for understanding many of the crystal-chemistry features of the K micas. In turn this may allow one to recognize and discriminate the extent to which crystal chemistry or bulk composition controls the occurrence of some seemingly possible or hypothetical K mica