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Formula: K2CaCu6O2(AsO4)4
Anhydrous arsenate
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 4.28 calculated
Hardness: 3
Streak: Pale greenish
Colour: Olive-green or olive drab
Common impurities: P,S,Zn,(Rb,Al)
Environments
Shchurovskyite is a relatively new mineral, approved in 2023 and to date (January 2024) it has been reported
only from the type locality.
Localities
At the type locality, the Arsenatnaya fumarole, Second scoria cone, Northern Breakthrough, Great Fissure eruption,
Tolbachik Volcanic field, Milkovsky District, Kamchatka Krai, Russia, shchurovskyite and
dmisokolovite occur in the same assemblage and are associated with one
another and with other arsenates, namely johillerite,
bradaczekite, tilasite,
svabite, lammerite,
paralammerite, urusovite,
ericlaxmanite, kozyrevskite,
popovite, alarsite,
hatertite, yurmarinite,
pharmazincite, melanarsite
and katiarsite. Other associated minerals are
tenorite, hematite,
fluorophlogopite,
aphthitalite, langbeinite,
calciolangbeinite,
krasheninnikovite, steklite,
anhydrite, arsenic-bearing
orthoclase, copper-rich
gahnite, corundum,
wulffite, arcanite,
palmierite, dolerophanite,
alumoklyuchevskite,
vanthoffite, sylvite and OH-free
fluoborite.
All these minerals form polymineralic incrustations up to
0.5 cm thick on the surface of basalt
scoria altered by fumarolic gas. This mineralisation occurs in open
fractures and pockets located from 0.3 to 0.8 m below the present surface. The temperature inside these pockets
immediately after uncovering was 360 to 380°C. It is believed that all the minerals listed were deposited directly
from the gaseous phase, as volcanic sublimates, or were formed as the result of gas-rock interactions at temperatures
not lower than 380°C. All the minerals of this assemblage are H free.
Shchurovskyite occurs as coarse tabular to prismatic crystals (usually less than 0.03 mm, rarely up to 0.15 mm
in size) or anhedral grains. The latter form parallel aggregates, up to 1 mm across, and thin,typically interrupted
crusts, up to 0.05 mm, on basalt
scoria and on aphthitalite
incrustations
(MM 79 .7.1737-1753).
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