Valid Species? -- Hydroxylbastnäsite-(La) and Hydroxylbastnäsite-(Nd)

I am trying to update my list of valid minerals and hope that someone may be able to verify which, if either, are valid species.

-- Fleisher's Glossary of Mineral Species 2008 shows Hydroxylbastnäsite-(La) as a valid species and Hydroxylbastnäsite-(Nd) as "not IMA approved."

-- The official IMA-CNMNC List of Mineral Names on [sheba.geo.vu.nl] shows Hydroxylbastnäsite-(La) as "N = Published without approval by the CNMNC" and shows Hydroxylbastnäsite-(Nd) as "Rn = Renamed with approval by CNMNC."

-- Ernst A.J. Burke's article in the Mineralogical Record 39,133 (2008) showing the official names with diacritical marks would indicate that both Hydroxylbastnäsite-(La) and Hydroxylbastnäsite-(Nd) are valid species.

Can anyone help this confused amateur collector? Thanks.

Hi Gerald,
hydroxylbastnäsite-(La) is not a valid species (published without approval by the CNMNC).
Hydroxylbastnäsite-(Nd) is a valid species (ex proposal IMA 1984-060).

E.A.J. Burke (2008), in his paper, specify what are the correct diacritical marks for names in IMA list: in the paper you can't find any work on the validity (or not) of the listed names. Also for the non valid the diacritical sign must be the correct.

Thanks Marco,

Your response also answers the further question concerning the validity of Hydroroméite, now shown as "Questionable." I now see that E.A.J. Burke's listing of this species is to show the correct diacritical mark, not if the mineral is valid or not.

Thanks again.

Yes, Gerald, hydroroméite is a questionable species.
Ciao.

While we are talking about "hydro..." species...:
Just in the last few days, I came to the conclusion that hydrohetaerolite probably also is a rather questionable species (comment added to mineral page).

About the "hydro", I think that also hydrobasaluminte, hydrobiotite, hydroglauberite, hydrohonessite and hydrombobomkulite need reinvestigation...

and the hydrogarnets... "Hibschite" is still approved(?), even though it seems to be just an intermediate variety in the grossular-katoite series.

Yep, hibschite should be discredited.

What is the problem with hydrobiotite? It is a 1:1 regular interstratification of biotite and trioctahedral vermiculite and not simply a hydrated biotite, although its water content is higher than that of biotite.

Hi Bela,
OK, any problem about hydrobiotite (space group, as many other species of the mixed-layered group, is unknown).
Ciao.

Hibschite: Uwe, perhaps you might convince Franz Pertlik to propose the discreditation, following his paper in Geolines, 15 (2003), 113-119?

Uwe - re. hydrohetaerolite:

Yes. It is always described as having the same tetragonally-distorted spinel unit cell as hetaerolite. In which case, there physically cannot be room in the crystal structure to accommodate the extra water!

I think it extremely likely that hydrohetaerolite is just fine-grained normal hetaerolite with adsorbed water.

But it needs someone with the time to be bothered to discredit it properly.

I agree Andrew: reinvestigation with modern methods seems to be needed.