earth science

Messelite

Messelite is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Messelite rather than just read about it. In short: Messelite is a mineral with formula Ca2(Fe2+,Mn2+)(PO4)2·2H2O. It was discovered in Germany and described in 1890.

Key takeaways

Messelite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Messelite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Messelite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Messelite is a mineral with formula Ca2(Fe2+,Mn2+)(PO4)2·2H2O. It was discovered in Germany and described in 1890. The mineral was subsequently discredited in 1940, reinstated and named neomesselite in 1955, and the name restored to messelite in 1959.

Description Messelite is a translucent mineral that is white, pale greenish white, greenish gray, pink, or colorless. The mineral may be granular or occur as internally radial aggregates of lamellar crystals arranged as globes, hemispheres, or sheafs, up to 1.5 cm (0.59 in). Messelite is a member of the fairfieldite group.

History Messelite was discovered in Messel, Hesse, Germany, by a Dr. Spiegel who worked as technical director at a local factory. The specimen contained a number of crystals associated with carbonaceous material. It did not conform to any known mineral at the time, a fact confirmed when it was studied at a local mineralogical institute. The mineral was described by W. Muthmann in 1890 in the journal Zeitschrift für Kristallographie and its formula was identified as (Ca2+,Fe2+,Mn2+)3(PO4)2·2+1⁄2H2O. At the request of Dr. Spiegel, the mineral was named messelite (German: Messelit) after the area in which it was discovered. The first reevaluation of messelite was carried out by C. W. Wolfe in 1940. Wolfe concluded that the material was anapaite partially altered to collinsite and he discredited messelite as a valid mineral species. Later, an unaltered mineral was found with the formula (Ca2+,Fe2+,Mn2+)3(PO4)2·2H2O, essentially identical to the formula of messelite reported by Muthmann. It was analyzed by Clifford Frondel and found to be the disordered iron-rich analogue of fairfieldite. Frondel proposed in 1955 that the mineral be named neomesselite. A few years later, additional material was obtained from the type locality of Messel and studied with optical and x-ray methods. The specimen was determined to consist primarily of material identical to the neomesselite described by Frondel with a rim of anapaite. Since it is likely that the mixture studied by Muthmann was primarily this mineral, it was decided around 1959 that the name neomesselite should be discarded in favor of messelite. When the IMA was founded, messelite was grandfathered as a valid mineral species.

Occurrence Messelite has been found in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United States. The mineral tends to form in granite pegmatites by hydrothermal alteration at a late stage. Messelite occurs in association with amblygonite, anapaite, brazilianite, eosphorite, fairfieldite, goyazite, graftonite, herderite, hureaulite, ludlamite, phosphoferrite, siderite, triphylite, vivianite, and whitlockite.

References

Bibliography Frondel, Clifford (September–October 1955). "Neomesselite and beta-roselite: two new members of the fairfieldite group" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 40 (9 & 10): 828–833. Muthmann, W. (1890). "Kürzere Originalmittheilungen und Notizen: Messlit, ein neues Mineral". Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, Kristallgeometrie, Kristallphysik, Kristallchemie (in German). 17. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft: 93–94. Wolfe, C. W. (December 1940). "Classification of minerals of the type A3(XO4)2·nH2O (concluded)" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 25 (12): 787–809.

External links Media related to messelite at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Messelite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Messelite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Messelite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Messelite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Messelite

In research: Messelite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Messelite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Messelite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Calcium minerals, Dihydrate minerals, Iron(II) minerals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Messelite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Messelite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Messelite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Messelite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Messelite in simple terms?

Messelite is a mineral with formula Ca2(Fe2+,Mn2+)(PO4)2·2H2O. It was discovered in Germany and described in 1890.

Why does Messelite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Messelite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Messelite.