Akhtenskite

Akhtenskite (Manganese Smokercite web|url=http://www.seltene-mineralien.de/Eweb/Lists/2-2007.htm|title=Gunnar Färber's list of minerals and alternate names|accessdate=2008-05-04] ) is a mineral that was named after the Akhtensk deposit. The deposit can be found in Russia, where it was first discovered and noted in 1979.cite web|url=http://www.mysticgemcreations.com/minerals/mineral_reference_akhtenskit.php|title=Mineral Reference Lookup for Akhtenskite|accessdate=2008-05-04|publisher=Mystic Gem Creations] cite web|url=http://www.webmineral.com/data/Akhtenskite.shtml|title=Akhtenskite data sheet|publisher=Webmineral.com|accessdate=2008-05-04] cite web|url=http://www.mineralcollecting.org/data/allcategory.cgi?a=Akhtenskite&m=ww&ex=&a=a&c=&d=&l=&h=&v=&s=&r=&el=&pc=&elt=&pct=&elr=&pcr=&elf=&pcf=&str=&dna=&fml=|title=Akhtenskite mineral data|publisher=Mineralcollecting.com|accessdate=2008-05-04] It can be found in the Akhtensk brown ironstone deposit, in the southern Ural Mountains, on Mt. Zarod, on the Sikhote-Alin Mountains, and in the Primorskiy Kray. All of these locations can be found in Russia.cite web|url=http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/akhtenskite.pdf|title=Fact sheet about Akhtenskite|accessdate=2008-05-04|publisher=Mineral Data Publishing]

Akhtenskite is not radioactive. Its crystals are usually hexagonal in shape, with flakiness and plating, usually because of the fact that it replaced a mineral. It occurs in mixtures in "psilomelane" with other manganese oxides in an iron oxide deposit, most likely bacterially altered from a previous mineral in the Akhtensk deposit. It also occurs in crustings of ferromanganese minerals on oceanic rocks. Its chemical makeup is 63% oxygen and 37% manganese. However, it very rarely occurs.cite web|url=http://www.minmax.net/min.php?lang=en&name=Akhtenskite&SID=0c11reh9uli2ngpoag4s7u6ufs0q1nn3|title=MinMax's data sheet for Akhtenskite|publisher=Mineral Information System|accessdate=2008-05-04]

Some minerals that are commonly associated with Akhtenskite are: todorokite, pyrolusite, nsutite, goethite, and cryptomelane.cite web|url=http://www.mindat.org/min-71.html|title=Akhtenskite mineral information and data|publisher=Mindat.org|author=Jolyon & Ida Ralph|accessdate=2008-05-04] It has a specific gravity of 4.78.cite web|url=http://www.mineralatlas.com/mineral%20general%20descriptions/A/akhtenskitepcd.htm|title=Akhtenskite general information|accessdate=2008-05-04|publisher=Mineralatlas.com]

References