balipholite

English

Etymology

For its composition of (BA)rium and (LI)thium, and from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”) for being a mineral. Claimed to also contain the Chinese word for fibrous. Likely, the -pho- is a reference to carpholite, which mineral group balipholite is closely related to.

Noun

balipholite

1. (mineralogy) An orthorhombic-dipyramidal mineral containing aluminum, barium, fluorine, hydrogen, lithium, magnesium, oxygen, and silicon.
   • 1996, Abstracts: 30th International Geological Congress, Beijing, China, 4-14 August 1996, volume 3:

     It covered all the structures of the main minerals specified in the teaching plan of mineralogy course. It also contains most of crystal structures first determined by Chinese scientists, such as Baotite, Bafertisite, Balipholite, Prehnite, Astrophyllite, […]

   • 2004, Kimberly T. Tait, Frank C. Hawthorne, Joel D. Grice, John L. Jambor, William W. Pinch, Potassic-carpholite, a new mineral species from the Sawtooth batholith, Boise County, Idaho, USA:

     However, alkali and alkaline-earth cations can also occur in the carpholite-type structure; for example, balipholite […] has the carpholite structure (Peng et al. 1987).

   • 2005, Riccardo BASSO, Roberto CABELLA, Gabriella LUCCHETTI, Alberto MARTINELLI, Andrea PALENZONA, Vanadiocarpholite, Mn2+V3+Al(Si₂O₆)(OH)₄, a new mineral from the Molinello mine, northern Apennines, Italy:

     The crystal structure refinement indicates vanadiocarpholite to be isotypic with carpholite, therefore it belongs to the carpholite group together with carpholite, magnesiocarpholite, ferrocarpholite, balipholite and potassic-carpholite.

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2024) “Balipholite”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “balipholite”, in Mindat.org‎^[1], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2024.