Named by G.A. Desborough, J.J. Finney, and B.F. Leonard in 1973 in honor of John Beaver Mertie, Jr. (22 January 1888, Baltimore, Maryland, USA - 7 December 1980, Rockville, Maryland, USA), geologist with the United States Geological Survey. He spent 30 years geologically mapping Alaska. For many years it was named mertieite-I; it was renamed to pseudomertieite in 2022.

Type Locality:

ⓘ Fox Gulch, Salmon River - Red Mountain District, Goodnews Bay, Bethel Census Area, Alaska, USA

Dimorph of:

Isomertieite

This page provides mineralogical data about Pseudomertieite.

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Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

2654

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:2654:9

GUID
(UUID V4):

9771669e-d470-42f9-88b8-0000a6450049

IMA Classification of PseudomertieiteHide

IMA status:

Approved

IMA status notes:

Renamed by the IMA

IMA Formula:

Pd_5+x(Sb,As)_2-x (x = 0.1-0.2)

Type description reference:

Desborough, G.A., Finney, J.J., Leonard, B.F. (1973) Mertieite, a new palladium mineral from Goodnews Bay, Alaska. American Mineralogist: 58: 1-10.

Classification of PseudomertieiteHide

Strunz-mindat (2024):

2.AC.15b

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
A : Alloys
C : Alloys of metalloids with PGE

Dana 8th ed.:

2.16.1.1

2 : SULFIDES
16 : Miscellaneous

Hey's CIM Ref.:

3.12.38

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
12 : Sulphides etc. of the platinum metals

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Symbol	Source	Reference
Met-I	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 PseudomertieiteHide

Lustre:

Metallic

Transparency:

Opaque

Colour:

Brassy yellow

Hardness:

5½ on Mohs scale

Hardness:

VHN₅₀=578 kg/mm² - Vickers

Optical Data of PseudomertieiteHide

Anisotropism:

distinct

Colour in reflected light:

brassy yellow

Chemistry of PseudomertieiteHide

Mindat Formula:

Pd₁₁(Sb,As)₄

Elements listed:

As, Pd, Sb - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Common Impurities:

Crystallography of PseudomertieiteHide

Crystal System:

Hexagonal

Cell Parameters:

a = 15.04 Å, c = 22.41 Å

Ratio:

a:c = 1 : 1.49

Unit Cell V:

4,390.04 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Morphology:

small grains, to 0.5 mm

Comment:

Hexagonal; possibly monoclinic, pseudohexagonal. Point Group: n.d.; Space Group: n.d.

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
2.278 Å	(vs)
2.171 Å	(vs)
2.232 Å	(m)
2.017 Å	(m)
1.918 Å	(m)
1.861 Å	(m)
1.572 Å	(m)

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
Near-surface Processes
26 : Hadean detrital minerals
High-𝑇 alteration and/or metamorphism
33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12])
Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks	>3.0
37 : Layered igneous intrusions and related PGE minerals

Type Occurrence of PseudomertieiteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Fox Gulch, Salmon River - Red Mountain District, Goodnews Bay, Bethel Census Area, Alaska, USA

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, 132499.

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Reference:

Desborough, G.A., Finney, J.J., Leonard, B.F. (1973) Mertieite, a new palladium mineral from Goodnews Bay, Alaska. American Mineralogist: 58: 1-10.

Synonyms of PseudomertieiteHide

Mertieite-I

Common AssociatesHide

Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:

1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Majakite	PdNiAs
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Altaite	PbTe
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Polarite	Pd(Bi,Pb)
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Sobolevskite	PdBi
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Isomertieite	Pd₁₁Sb₂As₂
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Caysichite-(Y)	(Ca,Yb,Er)₄Y₄(Si₈O₂₀)(CO₃)₆(OH) · 7H₂O
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Gold	Au
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Fuchsite	K(Al,Cr)₃Si₃O₁₀(OH)₂
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Epidote	(CaCa)(AlAlFe³⁺)O[Si₂O₇][SiO₄](OH)
1 photo of Pseudomertieite associated with Zincochromite	ZnCr₂O₄

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

2.AC.	Törnroosite	Pd₁₁As₂Te₂	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
2.AC.	Vadlazarenkovite	Pd₈Bi_1.5Te_1.25As_0.25	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : R3c
2.AC.05a	Atheneite	Pd₂As_0.75Hg_0.25	Hex. 6 m2 : P6₂m
2.AC.05b	Vincentite	Pd₃As	Mon.
2.AC.10c	Arsenopalladinite	Pd₈(As,Sb)₃	Tric. 1 : P1
2.AC.10b	Mertieite	Pd₈Sb_2.5As_0.5	Trig. 3m (3 2/m) : R3c
2.AC.10a	Stillwaterite	Pd₈As₃	Trig.
2.AC.15a	Isomertieite	Pd₁₁Sb₂As₂	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
2.AC.15a	Miessiite	Pd₁₁Te₂Se₂	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
2.AC.20b	Palarstanide	Pd₅(Sn,As)₂	Hex.
2.AC.20a	Stibiopalladinite	Pd₅Sb₂	Hex.
2.AC.20c	Menshikovite	Pd₃Ni₂As₃	Hex. 6/m : P6₃/m
2.AC.25e	Majakite	PdNiAs	Hex.
2.AC.25a	Palladoarsenide	Pd₂As	Mon. 2/m : P2/m
2.AC.25f	Palladobismutharsenide	Pd₂(As,Bi)	Orth.
2.AC.25c	Palladodymite	(Pd,Rh)₂As	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pnma
2.AC.25b	Rhodarsenide	(Rh,Pd)₂As	Orth.
2.AC.25d	Naldrettite	Pd₂Sb	Orth. mm2 : Cmc2₁
2.AC.30	UM1999-02-As:NiRh	(Rh,Ni)₇As₄
2.AC.30	Polkanovite	Rh₁₂As₇	Hex. 6/m : P6₃/m
2.AC.35a	Genkinite	Pt₄Sb₃	Tet. 4 2 2
2.AC.35b	Ungavaite	Pd₄Sb₃	Tet. 4 2 2 : P4₁ 2₁ 2
2.AC.40	Polarite	Pd(Bi,Pb)	Orth. mm2 : Cmc2₁
2.AC.45a	Froodite	α-PdBi₂	Mon. 2/m : B2/m
2.AC.50	Nipalarsite	Ni₈Pd₃As₄	Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m)
2.AC.50	Viteite	Pd₅InAs	Tet. 4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) : P4/mmm

Other InformationHide

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 PseudomertieiteHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-2654.html
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External Links:

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Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project

References and PDF downloads at RRUFF project

American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database

Handbook of Mineralogy page PDF

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References for PseudomertieiteHide

Reference List:

Desborough, G.A., Finney, J.J., Leonard, B.F. (1973) Mertieite, a new palladium mineral from Goodnews Bay, Alaska. American Mineralogist: 58: 1-10.

Cabri, L.J., Laflamme, J.H.G., Stewart, J.M., Rowland, J.F., Chen, T.T. (1975) New data on some palladium arsenides and antimonides. The Canadian Mineralogist: 13: 321-335.

Miyawaki, Ritsuro, Hatert, Frédéric, Pasero, Marco, Mills, Stuart J. (2022) IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) – Newsletter 69. European Journal of Mineralogy, 34 (5) 463-468 doi:10.5194/ejm-34-463-2022

(2023) Pseudomertieite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America

Localities for PseudomertieiteHide

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the

symbol to view information about a locality. The

symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.

Locality ListHide

- 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). ~~Struck out~~ - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.


Canada
Ontario Thunder Bay District Seagull Lake Area Seagull Lake complex ⓘ Nipigon Reefs Project	Wilson et al. (2013)

Finland
ⓘ Lapland	Törnroos Ragnar
Sodankylä ⓘ Keivitsa intrusion	Gervilla

Morocco
Drâa-Tafilalet Region Zagora Province Zagora Cercle Tinzouline Caïdat Bleida Mines ⓘ Bleida Far West Mine	El Ghorfi et al. (2006)

Norway
Troms og Finnmark Porsanger ⓘ Karenhaugen PGE Deposit	Nilsson et al. (1998)

Russia
Buryatia Severo-Baykalsky District Dovyren Highlands ⓘ Yoko-Dovyrensky Massif	Ariskin et al. (2016)
ⓘ Baikal Cu-Ni deposit	Spiridonov et al. (2019, April)
Khabarovsk Krai Ayan-Maya district Konder alkaline-ultrabasic massif ⓘ Anomal’niy Cu-PGE deposit	Barkov et al. (2016) +1 other reference
Murmansk Oblast Fedorovo-Pansky massif (Pana layered complex) ⓘ Fedorova Tundra block	Groshev +6 other references
ⓘ FT-2 reef	Groshev +6 other references
ⓘ Kievey deposit	Groshev +6 other references
ⓘ North Kamennik deposit	Groshev +6 other references
ⓘ Southern PGE Reef	Groshev +6 other references
Republic of Karelia Kondopozhsky District ⓘ Vikshozero deposit	- (2014)
Suojärvi District ⓘ Kuolisma gabbrodolerite	Коневин et al. (2020)
ⓘ Motko gabbrodolerite	Коневин et al. (2020)

South Africa
Limpopo Capricorn District Municipality Blouberg Local Municipality Waterberg project ⓘ T-Zone	McCreesh et al. (2018)
Sekhukhune District Municipality Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality Burgersfort ⓘ Maandagshoek farm	Melcher et al. (2005)

USA (TL)
Alaska Bethel Census Area Goodnews Bay Salmon River - Red Mountain District ⓘ Fox Gulch (TL)	Desborough et al. (1973)

Pseudomertieite