Bystrite

Bystrite

Identifiers
Properties
Chemical formula	Na5.17K1.80)Ca1.01(Si6.17Al5.83)O24S1.5•(H2O)
Appearance	Semitransparent yellow
Structure
Crystal structure	Hexagonal
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Bystrite is a mineral with the empirical formula Na_5.17K_1.80)Ca_1.01(Si_6.17Al_5.83)O₂₄S_1.5•(H₂O), and a member of the cancrinite mineral group. It is a hexagonal crystal, with a 3m point group. The mineral may have been names after the Malaya Bystraya deposits in Russia, where it was found.

Introduction

Bystrite is a cancrinite mineral and exhibits similar physical properties, composition and structure as other cancrinites. Bystrite is a mineral that was first addressed in the literature in 1991, It was not much investigated after that. Through out this paper, the mineral Bystrite will be discussed in terms of chemical composition, structure, physical properties, and some other important and interesting facts.

Composition

The mineral Bystrite, as studied by geologists in the Malaya Bystraya was found to have the empirical chemical formula of (Na_5.17K_1.80)Ca_1.01(Si_6.17Al_5.83)O₂₄S_1.5•(H₂O). The formula was found using an electron microprobe through wet chemical analysis and using the data in figure 1 presented below. Kertz (2001).

Structure

The mineral Bystrite has a structure that is shared with many of the minerals in the cancrinite group. Its structure is shown in figure 2 above, exhibiting a Hexagonal crystal system with a 3m point group. Bystrite also has a P31c space group. Kertz (2001). The structure of Bystrite could not be easily found due to the mineral exhibiting a strong pseudotranslation, therefore, mineralogists made a model containing 114 independent atoms and that was the way to find out the internal structure of the Bystrite mineral, the idea was based on analyzing the tetrahedral frameworks of cancrinite minerals, and it did yield accurate results in predicting the structure of the mineral. Bolotina et al. (2004). Throughout the available literature, there is no mention of the bonds in Bystrite so it probably is not well studied yet. However, having hardness rating of 5, it would be safe to assume that the bonding between atoms is relatively strong. This information can not be revealed without detailed investigation of the mineral’s structure.

Physical properties

Figure 3: Bystrite and Lazulite in a Lazurite Deposit. Witzke et al. As seen in figure 3, the mineral Bystrite features a very interesting deep yellow color, with a range of transparent to translucent crystals, or semitransparent crystals. Bystrite crystals have a vitreous, glassy luster and a hardness of around 5 on Mohs hardness scale. Bystrite shows good cleavage on the {1010} direction. The specific gravity of Bystrite was calculated to be around 2.4 (gm/cc). Bystrite crystals show a tabular habit and can be up to 5mm in size that is mostly oriented in one direction, and consists of irregular grains and compacted loose fragments. Kertz (2001).

Geologic occurrence

The most studied sample of the mineral was found in the Malaya Bystraya deposit in Russia. After further investigation of the mineral it was found by the geologists studying this case that Bystrite occurs in lazurite deposits, and is usually associated with lazurite, calcite, and diopside. Kertz (2001).

The mineral is not very widely spread, either that or it has not been really searched for due to the lack of importance or significance. There is only one Bystrite deposit that was mentioned in the literature, and that deposit is found in the Malaya Bystraya lazurite deposit located 25 kilometers away to the west side of Slydanaka, and just south of Lake Baikal in Russia. Kertz (2001).

Special characteristics

The mineral Bystrite lacks any historical, political, or even scientific importance or significance, at least until now. However, that does not say anything about what might be in the future. From looking at art history of human beings, one can clearly see that gold, at some stage, lacked importance, and bronze was the most important and most valuable back then. From that, it can be pointed out that the lack of significance now, does not surely mean the lack of significance forever. R. Koontz (personal communication)

Where in the world

Clashing sources return 2 different answers to the question, what is the mineral “Bystrite” named after? Searching for Bystrite returns Bystrice, and Malaya Bystraya deposits as answers to that question. The more trusted and academic sources suggest that it is most likely the Russian Malaya Bystraya deposits that the mineral was named after. Kertz (2001)

Bystrice is a large village in the Czech Republic, and the village name might be the origin of the mineral “Bystrite” name. Bystrice is in the Frýdek-Místek District that is located in the Moravian-Silesian Region Of the Czech Republic, and this village is home to 5,150 people. The Village was first mentioned in written literature back in the 4th of May, 1423. The development of the village was mostly based on agriculture in the early stages, and then later by the mining and ironworks in the area. The village has some modern residential building that were mostly built during the 19th and 20th century. However, the original wooden or “old-school” buildings are still there mainly as tourist attractions and recreational lodges. The Village Bystrice (2009)

Bystrice has a great geographic location as it sits on a main traffic route featuring a railroad and the international motor road E75. The village is surrounded by Beskydy mountain peaks and is also very close to the conjunction of three rivers, which is a great recipe for a nice and relaxing, which is why the village is a great tourist attraction for biking, and for hiking and cross-country skiing during the snow-fall season. The Village Bystrice (2009) The other suggested origin for the name Bystrite, and the most mentioned one in literature is the deposits of Malaya Bystraya in Russia. These deposits are along the side of Malaya Bystraya River as can be seen in figure 5. Malaya Bystraya is located in Orlovskiy Rayon, Orlovskay Oblast, in Russia. Figures 4 and 5 below give a better idea of the global location of these deposits, and the geographical nature of the area as well. Malaya Bystraya Map (2009)

Having the trusted articles that studied the mineral relating the name “Bystrite” to the Malaya Bystraya deposits, and the fact that the first published articles addressing the mineral Bystrite are all in Russian, Malaya Bystraya seems to be the right answer to the question “where did the name come from?”. However, since the translation of the articles say the name is “presumably for the occurrence in the Malaya Bystraya deposit, Russia.” It still can not be taken as solid evidence that this is indeed the origin of the name. Kertz (2001).

Literature survey

Despite lack of literature addressing Bystrite, the available ones actually do a great job presenting the important information related to it. The first paper addressing Bystrite was Bystrite Ca(Na; K)₇(Si₆Al₆O₂₄)(S₃)_1:5•H₂O - a new cancrinite-like mineral, written by A.N. Sapozhnikov, V.G. Ivanov, L.F. Piskunova, A.A. Kashaev, L.E. Terentieva, and E.A. Pobedimskaya, and published in 1991, this article was originally written in Russian, but mineral data publishing translated most of the important information to English in the version 1.2 that was published in 2001. There is another article that addressed Lazurite deposits, but not Bystrite specifically, dated to 1985. That article was also referred to in the mineral data publishing, version 1.2 published in 2001, but back in 1985, Bystrite was yet to be discovered as a mineral.

Prospects for further investigation

The mineral Bystrite seems to be well studied after reading through the cited sources. All the important aspects have been already identified including chemical composition, physical properties, and optical properties. The mineral also seems to be of negligible importance and is actually not so easy to find, even on some mineral trade websites that carry some of the rarest minerals. Taking that into consideration, further studies of this mineral will most likely be very costly, and not yield useful results in the end, therefore, further investigation of Bystrite may not be a very good idea.