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The mineralogy of the two uranium deposits (Victorino and San Marcos I) of Sierra San Marcos, located 30 km northwest of Chihuahua City, Mexico, was studied by optical microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction with Rietveld analysis, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, and gamma spectrometry. At the San Marcos I deposit, uranophane Ca(UO2)2Si2O7·6(H2O) (the dominant mineral at both deposits) and metatyuyamunite Ca(UO2)(V2O8)·3(H2O) were observed. Uranophane, uraninite (UO2+x), masuyite Pb(UO2)3O3(OH)·3(H2O), and becquerelite Ca(UO2)6O4(OH)6 ·(8H2O) are present at the Victorino deposit. Field observations, coupled with analytical data, suggest the following sequence of mineralization: (1) deposition of uraninite, (2) alteration of uraninite to masuyite, (3) deposition of uranophane, (4) micro-fracturing, (5) calcite deposition in the micro-fractures, and (6) formation of becquerelite. The investigated deposits were formed by high-to low-temperature hydrothermal activity during post-orogenic evolution of Sierra San Marcos. The secondary mineralization occurred through a combination of hydrothermal and supergene alteration events. Becquerelite was formed in situ by reaction of uraninite with geothermal carbonated solutions, which led to almost complete dissolution of the precursor uraninite. The Victorino deposit represents the second known occurrence of becquerelite in Mexico, the other being the uranium deposits at Peña Blanca in Chihuahua State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urolithiasis in Maya population from Yucatan. • Composition analysis of kidney stones in Mexico. • Rietveld refinement of kidney stones XRD patterns. • FT-IR spectroscopy of renal calculi. • SEM morphological characterization of kidney stones. Urinary lithiasis is a worldwide disease. It is important to analyze kidney stone composition and identify the minerals that compose them as well as etiology of this disease to develop prophylactic measures. The present work consists of the analysis of 56 kidney stone fragments from patients of the Maya population in Yucatan through X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), optical microscopy (OM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Semi-quantitative phase analysis to the diffraction patterns were applied to 56 samples and these were compared with the quantitative phase analysis, calculated by the Rietveld refinement method, in 21 kidney stones selected. Results were classified into oxalates (OX), uric acid (UA), phosphates (PH), and mixed compounds (MX). In the semi-quantitative analysis by XRD principal compounds were oxalates (32%) and phosphates (37%). Also, Rietveld refinement revealed main constituents were oxalates (38%) and phosphates (33.3%). The uricite and the mixed group represented 23.8% and 4.9%, respectively. Average crystallite size of the main mineralogical phases was measured, and it was found that whewellite ranges between 62 and 105 nm, weddellite 77–162 nm, hydroxyapatite 8–70 nm, struvite and uric acid varied 48–85 nm and 65–78 nm, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the phosphate and the oxalate group are prevalent among the Maya population of Yucatan. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two isotropic grossular (ideally Ca3Al2Si3O12) samples from (1) Canada and (2) Tanzania, three optically anisotropic grossular samples (3, 4, 5) from Mexico, and one (6) anisotropic sample from Italy were studied. The crystal structure of the six samples was refined in the cubic space group I a 3 ¯ d , using monochromatic synchrotron high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction (HRPXRD) data and the Rietveld method. The compositions of the samples were obtained from electron microprobe analyses (EPMA). The HRPXRD traces show a single cubic phase for two isotropic samples, whereas the four anisotropic samples contain two different cubic phases that were also resolved using X-ray elemental line scans, backscattered electron (BSE) images, and elemental maps. Structural mismatch from two cubic phases intergrown in the birefringent samples gives rise to strain-induced optical anisotropy. Considering the garnet general formula, [8]X3[6]Y2[4]Z3[4]O12, the results of this study show that with increasing unit-cell parameter, the Y-O distance increases linearly and rather steeply, the average distance increases just slightly in response to substitution mainly on the Y site, while the Z-O distance remains nearly constant. The X and Z sites in grossular contain Ca and Si atoms, respectively; both sites show insignificant substitutions by other atoms, which is supported by a constant Z-O distance and only a slight increase in the average distance. The main cation exchange is realized in the Y site, where Fe3+ (ionic radius = 0.645 Å) replaces Al3+ (ionic radius = 0.545 Å), so the Y-O distance increases the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valencianite has been described as a variety of K-feldspar (adularia) from La Valenciana mine, Guanajuato, Mexico, from which three samples were used for this study. We present new major and trace element analysis, X-ray powder diffraction with Rietveld refinement, and single-crystal 40Ar/39Ar ages of this classical mineral. A detailed review of major works on feldspars and relevant papers from adularia shows that the structure of this mineral has monoclinic and triclinic domains with variable degrees of Al/Si order that we have been only able to model by powder X-ray diffraction assuming the presence of monoclinic (~50%) plus triclinic (~50%) K-feldspar. The literature data show some extreme structural states for adularia obtained in the pre-Rietveld refinement era; these data are dubious and need to be reanalyzed. A triangular diagram using the relative development of {110}, {010} and {001} faces is proposed. The temperature of formation, the Na/K ratio, and the growth kinetics seem to be the main factors controlling the morphological changes in K-feldspar crystals. The geochemistry of valencianite shows an almost pure orthoclase composition, as is common in most adularia crystals, although compositions up to Or90Ab10 have been found. Measurement of thallium in adularia can be an exploration guide for ore deposits. The weighted mean of 15 40Ar/39Ar analyses of one valencianite from La Valenciana mine gave an age of 30.43 ± 0.27 Ma (2 standard deviations). It is discussed whether valencianite can be considered a new mineral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the chemical structural characterization of the erionite-type zeolite from Agua Prieta, Sonora, México, was performed on both pristine and Na, Ca, and Mg exchanged samples in order to identify the various modifications due to cation exchange. The samples investigated were those that showed the best behaviour of CO2 and CH4 adsorption at zero coverage levels and the higher values of surface area reported in our previous studies. According to the crystal-chemical formula (Na3.44K1.96Mg0.63Ca0.62)[Al8.21Si27.79O71.85]·29.63H2O, the pristine sample has been classified as erionite-Na. Morphological FE-SEM investigation performed on both pristine (ERIN) and Na-exchanged samples (ERINa3) showed a similar range of fiber diameters (27–37 nm). The chemical analyses of the ion-exchanged samples evidenced the upload of Ca and Mg following ion exchange with Na. Rietveld analysis results allowed the identification of the chemical structural modification caused by the ion exchange process, occurring mainly at the Ca1 site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]