3-3-2020
A newly discovered mineral species of the tourmaline group is named after Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Barbara Dutrow for “her contributions to mineral sciences and crystal chemistry, and particularly for her well-known and comprehensive research into tourmaline and its embedded geologic information,” according to GIA’s statement.
Discovered by researchers from Austria, Italy, and Sweden in the Apuan Alps in Italy, Dutrowite is formed from the compression and heating of a volcanic rock called rhyolite. It can come in different colours and contains elements such as aluminum, boron, iron, hydrogen, sodium, oxygen, silicon, and titanium.
The mineral recognised by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) a unique mineral is the first of the 34 tourmaline species to be named after a female and the sixth GIA contributors have been honored minerals named after them.
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