The “Bai Ge Mine” has received formal approval from the New Mineral Names and Classification Committee of the International Mineralogical Association.

　 　◎ Our reporter Liu Xiaohui

The new mineral “Bai Ge Mineral,” discovered and proposed by the research team led by Li Yike from the Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, China Geological Survey, recently received overwhelming approval from the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA-CNMNC), earning approval number IMA2021-002a.

　　The new mineral’s English name is “Nioboixiolite-(□),” in honor of Researcher Bai Ge (1930–2020), who first discovered niobium-bearing minerals in the Bayan Obo region and initiated systematic exploration and research into niobium resources. The applicant has designated the Chinese name for this new mineral as “Bai Ge Mineral.” Currently, the type specimen is housed at the China Geological Museum under accession number M16118.

　　Bai Ge Mine was discovered within a hidden carbonate body associated with the Baiyun Obo rare-earth-niobium-iron deposit, making it the 16th new mineral identified at the Baiyun Obo deposit. It is a black, opaque niobium-tantalum oxide with the simplified chemical formula: [(Nb,Ta)5+,□,(Ti,Si)4+,U6+,(Ca,Pb)2+,(Fe,REE)3+]O2; its ideal chemical formula is: (Nb0.8□0.2)4+O2. The mineral belongs to the orthorhombic crystal system, with space group Pbcn (#60). Its unit-cell parameters are: a = 4.7071(5) Å, b = 5.7097(7) Å, c = 5.1111(6) Å, and the unit-cell volume is V = 137.37(3) ų, with Z = 4.

　　For a long time, Baiyun Ebo has been regarded as a carbonatite-type rare-earth, niobium, and iron deposit that is extremely rich in thorium (Th) but poor in uranium (U), and exceptionally rich in niobium (Nb) yet depleted in tantalum (Ta). In the newly discovered Baige ore, the contents of UO2 and Ta2O5 reach 20.21% and 13.75%, respectively—remarkably high concentrations that suggest the ore may have undergone a unique mineralization process. In-depth mineralogical studies of the Baige ore offer a fresh perspective for understanding the mechanisms behind the extraordinary enrichment of niobium and thorium at Baiyun Ebo. The discovery of this new mineral not only enriches the variety of niobium-bearing minerals found at Baiyun Ebo, providing important insights for the development of niobium deposits, but also opens up new avenues for the exploration of even more valuable uranium and tantalum resources.

　　Since 2019, in order to promote the deep integration of industry, academia, and research and to create a new paradigm for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, the Institute of Resources and Baotou Iron and Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. jointly established the Baiyun Ebo Scientific Research Base. The discovery of the Bage Mine represents another significant scientific achievement following the base’s breakthroughs in the exploration of iron, rare earth elements, and fluorite. It further demonstrates the innovative capacity of the new model of collaboration between science and enterprises.

　　This research was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China’s General Program “Genesis of Exceptionally Enriched Rare-Earth Carbonatites and Their Control Mechanisms on the Extraordinary Fractionation and Enrichment of Rare-Earth Elements” (No. 42072114) and the National Key Research and Development Program’s Integrated Demonstration Project for Green and Efficient Exploration and Utilization of Multi-metal Resources in Bayan Obo (2022YFC2905300).