Nickeloan pyroaurite from Leslie, Aberdeenshire

Abstract

A nickel-bearing mineral belonging to the pyroaurite-sj~Sgrenite group has been found in a serpentinite rock near the village of Leslie, Aberdeenshire. X-ray powder diffraction data and electron-probe microanalysis indicate that the mineral has a three-layer rhombohedral structure with a probable formula near (OH)₁₃CO₃.4H₂O. The mineral can therefore be described as nickeloan pyroaurite. It decomposes readily in mildly acid conditions and if inherited by serpentinite-derived soils could well be an important source of plant-available nickel.