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Tom Mazanec
Joined: 11 Feb 2016
Posts: 139
Location: Twinsburg, Ohio
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 Posted: Apr 08, 2016 21:06 Post subject: How many mineral species are there in the world? |
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| I know there are now in the 4000s described species. How many do you think there will be when we have found them all? 5000+? 10000? 20000? |
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alfredo
Site Admin
Joined: 30 Jan 2008
Posts: 979
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| Posted: Apr 08, 2016 21:36 Post subject: Re: How many mineral species are there in the world? |
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We've already surpassed 5,000! ...and growing by roughly 100 per year. The rate of new descriptions is increasing - A few years ago we were averaging only about 60 or so a year.
Dr George Rossman (after whom the tourmaline rossmanite is named) said we could jump to 10,000 quickly, as soon as we got technology good enough to characterize "nanominerals" - minerals so tiny you can't even see them with the best optical microscopes. But I doubt that "nanominerals" are going excite many collectors (other than the hardcore fanatic systematic species collectors, about a dozen people in the whole world). Why bother, if you can't see it with your own microscope? |
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nicu
Joined: 01 Sep 2010
Posts: 90
Location: Bucharest
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| Posted: Apr 09, 2016 02:09 Post subject: Re: How many mineral species are there in the world? |
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| alfredo wrote: | | We've already surpassed 5,000! ... But I doubt that "nanominerals" are going excite many collectors... |
The Mineral World is a wonderful research area.
Till now they have developed many nano-microscopy technologies that used in material sciences: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence microscopy, Focused Ion Beams microscopy (FIB), Field Emission SEM (FESEM), etc, or combined use of them.
Also, are longer used and (micro) nanotomography scanning systems on purpose to render 3D images.
Some scientific procedures are focused to view the phase in mapping images or orientation imaging sample with additional features e.g. x-ray microscopy or EDS spectroscopy.
Unfortunately, these devices are less accessible to most of (micro) mineral collectors due to required additional endowments: high-resolution quantitative imaging cameras, sample preparation equipment and software packages. And due their prohibitive prices, as well.
Could we talk about a similar market trend in the same way as mobile phone policy...?
How nice it would be !
Nicu
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Roger Warin
Joined: 23 Jan 2013
Posts: 1177
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| Posted: Apr 09, 2016 04:05 Post subject: Re: How many mineral species are there in the world? |
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How many of bastnäsites?
4: Bastnäsite - (Ce), Bastnäsite - (La), Bastnäsite – (Nd) and Bastnäsite- (Y).
Or fifty by random variations of the REE relative contents, regardless of the anions?
The new nomenclature rules will not facilitate the work of amateurs.
Roger. |
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alfredo
Site Admin
Joined: 30 Jan 2008
Posts: 979
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| Posted: Apr 09, 2016 11:17 Post subject: Re: How many mineral species are there in the world? |
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| But Roger, there is no law stopping amateurs from just using the series name "Bastnäsite"! I can never figure out why so many collectors feel this pressure to label everything with the exact species name. Nothing wrong with series names and group names on a label when one doesn't have a chemical analysis. I have many specimens just labelled "Tourmaline", because I don't have an exact composition. "Tourmaline" is a beautiful name ;)) |
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Pete Modreski
Site Admin
Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 709
Location: Denver, Colorado
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| Posted: Apr 09, 2016 11:27 Post subject: Re: How many mineral species are there in the world? |
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I agree wholeheartedly with Alfredo!
There are places/times for highly specific nomenclature, and places where's it neither ncessary nor useful, nor even possible, to obtain that. |
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Roger Warin
Joined: 23 Jan 2013
Posts: 1177
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| Posted: Apr 09, 2016 12:47 Post subject: Re: How many mineral species are there in the world? |
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| Many thanks Alfredo, Pete. |
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