This is Throwback Thursday #140. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc ...), please sent them to [email protected]. Thanks!
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Apatite-(CaF) (Fluorapatite) Doubly-terminated crystal in calcite Locality : Yates mine, Otter Lake, Pontiac RCM, Outaouais, Québec, Canada Size of crystal 32cm
Jean Reynolds held many offices in ESCONI, including President in 1972 and 1973, Vice President, Editor, Circulation Chairman, and more. For 45 years, from 1961 until 2006, Jean served on the ESCONI board. In December 1977, she wrote an article for the newsletter called "Names". It it, she details the origin of some minerals and elements.
Wikipedia has a nice page called "List of Minerals". It has an alphabetical list of minerals. There are links to each mineral's page.
NAMES
Several years ago I listened to a lecture by Paul Desautel entitled "What to name the baby". I thought as I entered the room--that is a strange title for a program at the Midwest Federation Convention. I soon learned that he was talking about how minerals are named. The lecture on nomenclature was very interesting.
Several years later it was announced that Russ MacFall would have a mineral named after him. We were asked if any other person in the years later it was announced that Russ MacFall would have a Midwest had been so honored. The only one I could think of was Bill Bingham. I realized then that I knew the source of only a few names of minerals. As a result I started reading and checking and have start- ed what I hope will be an interesting list.
I started reading and found I was not only learning about minerals but also history, geography, and a greater appreciation for the geologists in the past. Geologists living in the 19th century discovered, analyzed, and named the bulk of the mineral specimens. Pliny's names were sufficient down to the 16th Century. The real beginning of the science of chemistry and crystallography was de L'Isle's work in 1772 to 1783 (four volumes.) A majority of the minerals were named between 1800 and 1890, with the peak about 1850.
The present method is as follows: The proposal is submitted to the president of the Commission on on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association by either the researchers or the equivalent National Committees of France, Japan or the U.S.S.R. The data furnished should be as complete as possible. The president is authorized to ask for additional information, or to point out possible objections before the proposal is submitted to the Commission.
The proposal is then sent by air mail to the members of the Commission who have 40-45 days to vote and comment in detail. Objections may cause the president to suspend the voting while the researcher responds and this then distributed to the commission members.
When the vote is completed the president notifies the author, the members of the commission and the professional journal in which publication is intended, of the voting results.
There are three basic ways that minerals have been named. These are: 1. Minerals given a name which pertains to their chemical composition, color, crystal structure, form or physical characteristics. 2. Those named for the person who discovered the mineral, or in honor of some person. 3. Minerals named for the area or location where it was found. Here are a few that I have found in reading.
1. MINERALS NAMED FOR COMPOSITION, COLOR, APPEARANCE
Apatite from the Greek word "to deceive" because it has been mistaken for other minerals Barite J.D. Dana 1868 - for the Greek meaning "weight" Celestite word means "heavenly" Specimen were "heavenly blue" Cylindrite from the Greek meaning a "cylinder" (crystal structure) Fluorite from "fluores and fluere" to "flow" - it flows easily Mimetite "an imitator" - its resemblance to pyromorphite Pectolite "well put together" - because of its structure Vanadinite composition - Chloro-vanadate of lead Elements
Arsenic from the Greek word meaning "orpiment" Platinum from Spanish "platina de pinto" 2. MINERALS NAMED FOR A PERSON
Alexandrite in honor of Czar Alexander II of Russia Hiddenite in honor of William Hidden Macfallite in honor of Russell P. MacFall Prehnite in honor of Col. von Prehn Smithsonite in honor of James Smithson (a provision of his will provided the funds for the Smithsonian Institute) 3. MINERALS NAMED FOR A LOCATION
Amazonstone for its locality, the Amazon River Dravite for the Drave district in Carinthia, Austria Labradorite for the country Muscovite Muscow, Russia Neptunite from Neptune, the god of the sea References
Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia 4th Edition (1968). Glossary of Mineral Species Michael Fleischer - Mineralogical Record Descriptive Mineralogy-Edward Dana, John Wiley publisher
