Russian scientists have discovered a new mineral and named it sergeismirnovite

The new mineral was discovered by scientists from St. Petersburg State University and the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the press service of St. Petersburg State University reported.

An open mineral contains magnesium, zinc and phosphorus. Scientists suggest that it may have good proton conductivity; Thanks to this property, analogues of the found mineral can be used to create large-capacity batteries.

The ore was discovered in the Yakut Kester deposit in the Verkhoyansk region of the Republic of Yakutia. In Soviet times, prison camps were located there, who developed deposits of cassiterite, ore of tin.

Academician Sergei Smirnov received the Stalin Prize for the discovery of these deposits. Now his name has been immortalized in the name of the discovered mineral: sergeismirnovite. Previously, several other minerals were discovered in the area.

“Thus, the names of the minerals we discovered (epiphanovite, batagaite, sergeismirnovite) simultaneously immortalize the tragic history of our country (batagaite) and the names of the geologists who worked in the Verkhoyansk region (epiphanovite, sergeismirnovite)”, said Professor of the Department of Crystallography of St. Petersburg State University and Director General Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Krivovichev.