New European Journal Reports on Hematite, Lawsonite, Aragonite Carbonates

The recent issue (volume 38) of the European Journal of Mineralogy contains three newly published studies. - Synthesis of Nano‑Porous Ellipsoid Hematite – Meirong Zong et al. report that hydrothermally grown hematite becomes nanoporous ellipsoidal after 120 minutes, yielding particles averaging ~27 nm ¹. - Rare Lawsonite Eclogite Locality – Katherine F. Fornash et al. describe a well‑preserved lawsonite eclogite at Elekdağ, Central Pontides, Türkiye, with P–T conditions around 500 °C and 2.3 GPa, higher than previously recorded for the area but comparable to other lawsonite eclogites ¹. - ATR‑FTIR Analysis of Aragonite‑Group Carbonates – Mahmoud Alkhatib et al. apply attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy to quantify strontianite and witherite in synthetic aragonite mixtures using calibration curves based on absorbance ratios; this offers a rapid alternative to X‑ray diffraction without sample preparation ¹.

Expert context from mineral scientists notes that the hydrothermal synthesis involves initial agglomeration of iron oxyhydroxides followed by needle‑shaped FeOOH formation before dehydration into ellipsoidal hematite.