Inderite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Inderite
Inder Lake, Kazakhstan
Formula:
MgB3O3(OH)5 · 5H2O
Colour:
Colourless, white, pink; colourless in transmitted light
Lustre:
Vitreous, Greasy, Pearly, Dull
Hardness:
3
Specific Gravity:
1.80
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Member of:
Name:
After the type locality, the Inder Lake, Kazakhstan.
Type Locality:
Dimorph of:
Visit gemdat.org for Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
2025
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:2025:7
Similar Names
| Andorite | A discredited species name | AgPbSb3S6 |
IMA Classification of Inderite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
Mg[B3O3(OH)5](H2O)4·H2O
First published:
1937
Classification of Inderite
6.CA.15
6 : BORATES
C : Triborates
A : Neso-triborates
6 : BORATES
C : Triborates
A : Neso-triborates
26.3.1.3
26 : HYDRATED BORATES CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
3 : Triborates
26 : HYDRATED BORATES CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
3 : Triborates
9.2.11
9 : Borates
2 : Borates of Be and Mg
9 : Borates
2 : Borates of Be and Mg
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Idr | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Inderite
Vitreous, Greasy, Pearly, Dull
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent
Comment:
Pearly on cleavages.
Colour:
Colourless, white, pink; colourless in transmitted light
Streak:
White
Hardness:
3 on Mohs scale
Cleavage:
Perfect
On {010} perfect; on {110} good.
On {010} perfect; on {110} good.
Density:
1.80 g/cm3 (Measured) 1.794 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Inderite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.488 nβ = 1.491 nγ = 1.505
2V:
Measured: 37° , Calculated: 52°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.017
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
Moderate (negative)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
weak r > v
Comments:
X ≃ b; Z ∧ c = 9°.
Chemistry of Inderite
Mindat Formula:
MgB3O3(OH)5 · 5H2O
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Inderite
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Class (H-M):
2/m - Prismatic
Space Group:
P21/b
Setting:
P21/a
Cell Parameters:
a = 12.0350(8) Å, b = 13.1145(13) Å, c = 6.8221(3) Å
β = 104.49°
β = 104.49°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.918 : 1 : 0.52
Unit Cell V:
1,042.50 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Morphology:
Crystals tabular with two pinacoidal cleavages (California); acicular, in reniform nodular aggregates (Inder Lake); prismatic (artificial).
Forms include {110}, {120}, and {001}.
Forms include {110}, {120}, and {001}.
Crystal Structure
Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4
Show
Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
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Big Balls | Small Balls | Just Balls | Spacefill
Polyhedra Off | Si Polyhedra | All Polyhedra
Remove metal-metal sticks
Display Options
Black Background | White Background
Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
Black Background | White Background
Perspective On | Perspective Off
2D | Stereo | Red-Blue | Red-Cyan
View
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c
Rotation
Stop | Start
Stop | Start
Labels
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow
Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0009554 | Inderite | Corazza E (1976) Inderite: Crystal structure refinement and relationship to kurnakovite Acta Crystallographica B32 1329-1333 |  | 1976 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Loading XRD data...
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 5.052 Å | (100) |
| 3.357 Å | (68) |
| 5.72 Å | (60) |
| 6.61 Å | (44) |
| 2.662 Å | (44) |
| 2.558 Å | (44) |
| 5.84 Å | (40) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Near-surface Processes | |
| 24 : Authigenic minerals in terrestrial sediments (see also #17) | |
| 25 : Evaporites (prebiotic) |
Geological Setting:
Rarely as a primary mineral in lacustrine borate deposits.
Type Occurrence of Inderite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Small nodules or aggregates of minute needles.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
n.d.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Evaporite borate deposit.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Inderite
Other Language Names for Inderite
Relationship of Inderite to other Species
Member of:
Other Members of Inderite Group:
| Inderborite | CaMg(H3B3O7)2 · 8H2O | Mon. 2/m : B2/b |
| Inyoite | Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
| Kurnakovite | MgB3O3(OH)5 · 5H2O | Tric. 1 : P1 |
| Meyerhofferite | CaB3O3(OH)5 · H2O | Tric. 1 : P1 |
| Solongoite | Ca2(H3B3O7)(OH)Cl | Mon. 2/m : P21/b |
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 29 photos of Inderite associated with Dypingite | Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2 · 5H2O |
| 18 photos of Inderite associated with Canavesite | Mg2(HBO3)(CO3) · 5H2O |
| 14 photos of Inderite associated with Ulexite | NaCa[B5O6(OH)6] · 5H2O |
| 11 photos of Inderite associated with Nesquehonite | MgCO3 · 3H2O |
| 8 photos of Inderite associated with Goethite | Fe3+O(OH) |
| 4 photos of Inderite associated with Kurnakovite | MgB3O3(OH)5 · 5H2O |
| 3 photos of Inderite associated with Tunellite | SrB6O9(OH)2 · 3H2O |
| 3 photos of Inderite associated with Calcite | CaCO3 |
| 2 photos of Inderite associated with Tincalconite | Na2(B4O7) · 5H2O |
| 2 photos of Inderite associated with Epsomite | MgSO4 · 7H2O |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 6.CA.10 | Ameghinite | Na(H4B3O7) |
| 6.CA.20 | Kurnakovite | MgB3O3(OH)5 · 5H2O |
| 6.CA.25 | Inderborite | CaMg(H3B3O7)2 · 8H2O |
| 6.CA.30 | Meyerhofferite | CaB3O3(OH)5 · H2O |
| 6.CA.35 | Inyoite | Ca(H4B3O7)(OH) · 4H2O |
| 6.CA.40 | Solongoite | Ca2(H3B3O7)(OH)Cl |
| 6.CA.45 | Peprossiite-(Ce) | CeAl2(B3.67Si0.33)O10.67 |
| 6.CA.45 | Peprossiite-(Y) | YAl2(B3.67Si0.33)O10.67 |
| 6.CA.50 | Nifontovite | Ca3B6O6(OH)12(H2O)2 |
| 6.CA.55 | Olshanskyite | Ca2[B3O3(OH)6](OH) · 3H2O |
Other Information
IR Spectrum:
Boron Open Pit material [cm-1]: 3625, 3580, 3470s, 3435s, 3360s, 3260s, 3060sh, 2940sh, 1705sh, 1685, 1650w, 1449, 1405s, 1350s, 1280, 1260sh, 1179, 1134, 1047s, 999s, 870s, 802, 748, 675sh, 657, 620sh, 583, 568, 487w, 347w
Notes:
Insoluble in water. Readily soluble in warm, dilute HCl.
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Inderite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-2025.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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External Links:
Mineral Dealers:
References for Inderite
Reference List:
Frondel, Clifford, Morgan, Vincent (1956) Inderite and gerstleyite from the Kramer borate district, Kern County, California. American Mineralogist, 41 (11-12) 839-843
Frondel, Clifford, Morgan, Vincent, Waugh, J. L. T. (1956) Lesserite, a new borate mineral. American Mineralogist, 41 (11-12) 927-928 (as lesserite)
Pennington, K. S., Petch, H. E. (1960) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrum of B11 in Inderite. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 33 (2) 329-334 doi:10.1063/1.1731148
(1962) International Mineralogical Association: Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 33 (258) 260-263 doi:10.1180/minmag.1962.033.258.09
Corazza, E. (1976) Inderite: crystal structure refinement and relationship with kurnakovite. Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry, 32 (5) 1329-1333 doi:10.1107/s0567740876005293
Jun, Li, Shuping, Xia, Shiyang, Gao (1995) FT-IR and Raman spectroscopic study of hydrated borates. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 51 (4) 519-532 doi:10.1016/0584-8539(94)00183-c
Zhou, B., Michaelis, V. K., Pan, Y., Yao, Y., Tait, K. T., Hyde, B. C., Wren, J. E. C., Sherriff, B. L., Kroeker, S. (2012) Crystal structure refinements of borate dimorphs inderite and kurnakovite using 11B and 25Mg nuclear magnetic resonance and DFT calculations. American Mineralogist, 97 (11) 1858-1865 doi:10.2138/am.2012.4020
Frost, Ray L., López, Andrés, Xi, Yunfei, Lima, Rosa Malena Fernandes, Scholz, Ricardo, Granja, Amanda (2013) The molecular structure of the borate mineral inderite Mg(H4B3O7)(OH)⋅5H2O – A vibrational spectroscopic study. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 116. 160-164 doi:10.1016/j.saa.2013.06.108
Chukanov, Nikita V. (2014) Springer Geochemistry/Mineralogy - Infrared spectra of mineral species. Springer Netherlands. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7128-4
Zheng, Hanyu, Sun, Kangrui, Li, Long, Guo, Yafei, Deng, Tianlong (2020) Heat Capacities and Thermodynamic Properties of Pinnoite and Inderite. Journal of Chemistry, 2020. 1-8 doi:10.1155/2020/6181356
Localities for Inderite
Showing 16 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Argentina | |
| Helvaci +3 other references |
| Galliski et al. (2010) |
China | |
| Shaoxiu (1991) +2 other references |
| Xiyu Zheng (1994) | |
| Xiyu Zheng and Shengsong Yu (1981) +5 other references |
Italy | |
| M.E. Ciriotti (2006) |
Kazakhstan | |
| - (1993) +2 other references |
| Pekov (1998) +1 other reference |
Russia | |
| maurice.strahlen.org (2004) |
Turkey | |
| Baysal (1972) +3 other references |
USA | |
| Erd et al. (1970) +1 other reference |
| www.mineralsocal.org (1999) |
| U.S. Borax | |
| Minerals Notes and News (1948) +2 other references | |
| Frondel et al. (1956) | |
| Murdoch (1966) |
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Rio Tinto Borax Mine, Kramer Borate deposit, Boron, Kern County, California, USA