New minerals found in China(1958-2012)

Up to the end of 2012,some 124new mineral species had been found in China.The article is a collection of these new minerals.It lists and gives the mineral names both in Chinese and English together with chemical formula,locality and occurrence,discoverers and references for each species.All minerals listed here have been approved by the IMA CNMNC with only five exceptions.Each of the new minerals is listed according to mineral type and mineral class in the crystallochemical classification system and it gives the number of the new mineral species in each class.It calculates the ratio of the number of the new minerals in the class to the corresponding total number of the mineral species in the same class in order to recognize the distribution of the new minerals within the class.It is found that there is a close relationship between the number of new mineral species and the genesis,geochemical background and forming conditions of the geological bodies(rock massifs,ore deposits)in which the new mineral species are hosted.From the occurrence-locality point of view,most of the new minerals are found in the special mineral deposits or in the hot spot regions of geologic research in China.In order to accelerate the discovery of new minerals in China,it is necessary to strengthen the coalition and cooperation between the productive,the academic and the scientific research units and the closer cooperation between the disciplines of mineralogy,petrology,ore deposit geology and geochemistry.It should be focused on the detailed research on some fine-grained rare minerals,their ion occupation in crystal structure and order-disorder structures,and the research on amorphous and organic minerals.It is important to pay more attention to the application of modern measuring and testing techniques.The finding of new minerals is not only an initiative accomplishment in the field of mineralogy but also possesses theoretical significance for the development of geological science and practical value for the exploitation and utilization of mineral resources.