Imagine a rock that glitters with nickel and bismuth! Recently, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS) unveiled Jinxiuite, a brand-new mineral officially approved by the International Mineralogical Association. This nickel 6bismuth 6antimony 6arsenic sulfide was discovered in the Longhua nickel 6cobalt deposit in Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the Chinese mainland. 🪨✨ Could this tiny crystal reshape how we find critical metals? 🔍
The Longhua deposit is exceptionally rich: nickel makes up about 17.5% of the ore and cobalt about 1.5%, nearly 80 times above traditional benchmarks of 0.2% for nickel and 0.02% for cobalt. Jinxiuite’s unique structure forms when early nickel-bearing minerals are replaced and rearranged at the crystal level, creating a stable new species.
According to Yan Jiayong, a geophysics exploration expert at CAGS, Jinxiuite is composed of nickel, bismuth, sulfur, antimony, and arsenic. Tang Hejun, a senior engineer at CAGS, adds that this mineral contains multiple valuable metals and could help improve recovery rates if extraction proves efficient. The team plans to build a theoretical model using Jinxiuite as an indicator mineral—spotting it in future surveys might lead geologists straight to hidden nickel and cobalt riches.
With demand for cobalt and nickel rising in batteries and tech industries, Jinxiuite’s discovery marks a major step forward. This tiny crystal could guide the next wave of exploration and help meet global needs for critical metals. Stay tuned as geoscientists dig deeper into its potential! 🔬
Reference(s):
China's newly discovered mineral officially named 'Jinxiuite'
cgtn.com
