Vandermeerscheite
Vandermeerscheite is a rare uranium vanadium phosphate found as tiny green crystals. It forms in the oxidised zones of uranium deposits.
Toxic mineral: contains uranium.
Information about Vandermeerscheite
Vandermeerscheite is an exceptionally rare potassium uranyl vanadate mineral, described as a new species as recently as 2019 and currently known from only two localities. It is a micromount mineral in the strictest sense – individual crystals can be extremely small – less than the width of a human hair, in some cases.
It is primarily of interest to uranium mineral specialists, micromount collectors, and those with a particular attachment to the celebrated Eifel volcanic district.
It forms rosette-like aggregates of thin, transparent, orange-yellow blades on various minerals, including phillipsite-K and occasionally on fluorite, in cavities within volcanic rocks. Despite its minute size, the crystals are well-formed, transparent, and have a vitreous lustre. It is non-fluorescent under both long- and short-wave ultraviolet light – an unusual property for a uranium mineral, which are as a group commonly fluorescent.
Uses and History
Vandermeerscheite has no industrial or gemological applications whatsoever. It is of purely scientific and collecting interest.
The mineral was approved by the IMA in 2017 (IMA2017-104) and formally described in 2019 by Jakub Plášil, Anthony R. Kampf, Radek Škoda, and Jiří Čejka in the Journal of Geosciences.
It was named in honour of Eddy Van Der Meersche, a Belgian amateur mineralogist and highly regarded mineral photographer from Ghent, who discovered the mineral at the type locality and brought specimens to the attention of researchers. The naming of a mineral after its amateur discoverer – who then provided the specimens for the formal description study – is a pleasing tradition in mineralogy, and Van Der Meersche’s contribution is particularly well documented in the original paper.
The type locality is the Schellkopf quarry at Brenk in the Brohltal, Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany – part of the broader Vulkaneifel volcanic district. The Schellkopf is a volcanic tuff quarry in an area of Quaternary volcanic activity, and is the same geological setting that has yielded zeophyllite and other rare minerals found elsewhere on this site.
A second locality is now known, the Pandora Mine of Utah, USA.
Mineralogy
Hazards and Warnings
Radioactive and toxic mineral: contains uranium and vanadium. Vandermeerscheite is radioactive and must be handled and stored accordingly. Collectors should wash their hands thoroughly after handling, avoid inhaling any dust, and never place specimens near the mouth. Specimens should be stored away from areas of prolonged human occupation and completely out of reach of children.
For general guidance on the safe handling and storage of radioactive minerals, the Geological Curators Group has published freely available advice that collectors may find useful.
Almost all rocks, minerals (and, frankly, almost all other substances on earth) can produce toxic dust when cutting, which can cause serious respiratory conditions including silicosis. When cutting or polishing rocks, minerals, shells, etc, all work should be done wet to minimise the dust, and a suitable respirator or extraction system should be used.
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