Study of Rare Minerals

Researchers involved: Simon Philippo – Kim Totaro

Themes: critical and strategic minerals / environmental mineralogy / home mining

This research project aims to study samples from our collections or collected directly in the field. It involves in‑depth analyses of rare minerals containing rare elements, which may lead to the discovery of new species.

This type of work is a logical continuation of Simon Philippo’s doctoral thesis, which resulted in the definition of the neotype (holotype) of hydropyrochlore, deposited in the museum’s collections. In addition to numerous international publications, this research project has led to the discovery of several new species, either during scientific missions abroad or within the MNHNL collections. Within the framework of this project, the following species have been discovered: Qingheiite‑Fe²⁺, Wilancookite, Lepersonnite‑(Nd), Pendevilleite‑(Y) and, most recently, Yttrotungstite‑(Nd).

This research in our collections, combined with field missions in Brazil and Mozambique, has made it possible to identify rare, even extremely rare species, such as hafnons, a very rare series of minerals from the microlite group, stibiotantalites, or minerals containing REEs (rare earth elements). All these data, which can be contextualised with field‑mapping work, provide the museum with better knowledge and allow this information to be shared with local miners.

The research team will continue studying samples collected in 2023 in Mozambique and in 2022 and 2025 in Brazil. We are also beginning the study of the Olmet clusters (France), a very particular mineralisation located at the interface between two very different geological contexts.

Publications :

+ PHILIPPO S., NAUD J., DECLERCQ J-P & FENEAU-DUPONT J-P. (1995), "Structure Refinement and X-ray Powder Diffraction Data for Kalipyrochlore with (0<m<0.8, x~0.2, w=0 and 0.2<n<1)", Powder Diffraction, 10, 3, 180-184.

+ WILLIAMS C.T., WALL F., PHILIPPO S. & WOOLLEY A.R. (1997), "Compositional variation in pyrochlore from the Bingo carbonatite, Zaïre", Journal of African Earth Science, 25, 137-145.

+ HATERT F. BAIJOT M., PHILIPPO S. & WOUTERS J (2010), "Qingheiite-Fe2+, Na2Fe2+MgAl(PO4)3, a new phosphate from Sebastiao Cristino pegmatite, Minas Gerais, Brazil.“ European Journal Mineralogy 22, 459-467.

+ CASSEDANNE J. & PHILIPPO S. (2015) - Minerals and Gems deposits of the eastern Brazilian pegmatites, Volume 1 - Ed. Musée national d’histoire naturelle Luxembourg, p. 1-376 (isbn 978-2-919877-20-1)

+ CASSEDANNE J. & PHILIPPO S. (2015) - Minerals and Gems deposits of the eastern Brazilian pegmatites, Volume 2 - Ed. Musée national d’histoire naturelle Luxembourg, p. 377-674 (isbn 978-2-919877-21-8)

+ HATERT, F., PHILIPPO, S., OTTOLINI, L., DAL BO, F., SCHOLZ, R., CHAVES, M., YANG, H., DOWNS, R. & MENEZES, L. (2017): Wilancookite, (Ba,K,Na)8(Ba,Li,[])6Be24P24O96·32H2O, a new beryllophosphate with a zeolite framework. European Journal of Mineralogy, 29-5, 923-930.

+ HATERT, F., PHILIPPO, S., VIGNOLA, P. AND GUENNOU, M. (2023) Yttrotungstite-(Nd), IMA 2023-064. CNMNC Newsletter 76, Eur. J. Mineral., 35, 1075