mirabilite

English

Mirabilite

Etymology

From Latin mīrābilis (“miraculous”) +‎ -ite. From the Latin term sal mirabilis (“wonderful salt”), which was used by German-Dutch alchemist Johann Rudolph Glauber (1604–1670) after he inadvertently synthesised the substance.

Noun

mirabilite (plural mirabilites)

1. (mineralogy) An evaporite, consisting of sodium sulfate, with the chemical formula Na₂SO₄·10H₂O.
   • 1975, M. K. Stewart, “Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotope Studies on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica”, in New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, Volume 18, Number 1, page 61:

     Mounds of mirabilite have been observed near the north-west side of White Island, (e.g., Debenham 1965). These mirabilites probably originated by infiltration of sea water into the ice shelf, followed by ablation of the surface until the brines were exposed to evaporation and freeze concentration with precipitation of mirabilite on the surface.

   • 1987, I. B. Campbell, G. G. C. Claridge, Antarctica: Soils, Weathering Processes and Environment, Elsevier, page 253:

     Bedded deposits of mirabilite occur in coastal areas of East Antarctica, such as the Vestfold Hills and in the Skarvsnes area of Lutzow-Holm Bay, about 1500 km further west (Fig 1.3).

   • 2002, George M. Crothers, Charles H. Faulkner, Jan F. Simek, Patty Jo Watson, P. Willey, “23: Woodland Cave Archaeology in Eastern North America”, in David G. Anderson, Robert C. Mainfort, editors, The Woodland Southeast, University of Alabama Press, page 512:

     Mirabilite could have been and probably was scooped up off the cave floor and out of breakdown hollows, or brushed off ceilings and walls where it forms abundantly.

Synonyms

• Glauber's salt

Translations

saline evaporite consisting of sodium sulfate

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 芒硝 (zh) (mángxiāo), 朴硝 (zh) (pòxiāo), 皮硝 (zh) (píxiāo)

• Finnish: mirabiliitti
• French: mirabilite (fr) f
• German: Mirabilit n
• Italian: mirabilite f
• Polish: mirabilit (pl) m

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2024) “Mirabilite”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “mirabilite”, in Mindat.org‎^[1], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2024.
• Category:mirabilite on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons