New Mineral Discovered on Russia’s Kola Peninsula: Meet “Kola Ashcroftine”
Russian researchers have made a remarkable geological discovery on the Kola Peninsula: a previously unknown mineral that has been named “Kola ashcroftine,” reports Mir24, citing the press service of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The find is the result of fruitful collaboration between scientists from the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg State University and the A.E. Fersman Mineralogical Museum. The mineral was identified in the Kirovsky mine within the Khibiny massif — a region long celebrated by geologists for its exceptionally rich and unique mineral deposits.
Far more than a mere geological curiosity, the new mineral is a true “chemical archive of the Earth’s crust.” Its composition includes yttrium — a valuable rare-earth element — together with silicon, potassium, sodium and a host of other elements from the periodic table, all locked within a single crystal.
Particular economic interest attaches to the distinctive coating that covers the rock. Experts estimate its average market value at 145 dollars per millimetre, substantially higher than the current price of gold.
What sets the Kola specimen apart is the presence of calcium, manganese and fluorine in its chemical formula. Moreover, the crystal structure of the newly discovered mineral ranks among the most intricate of all minerals known to modern science.
By comparison, classic ashcroftine is a pinkish, transparent and extremely fragile silicate. Until now, the largest known deposits of this mineral were confined to Greenland, Canada and Italy. The Russian discovery significantly broadens scientific understanding of the mineral’s varieties.
The Khibiny massif on the Kola Peninsula remains one of the most thoroughly studied and mineral-rich places on the planet. It holds the world’s largest reserves of apatite and nepheline, and new, previously unknown minerals continue to be identified there with striking regularity. The region’s unique geochemical conditions favour the formation of exceptionally complex crystal lattices.