29th new mineral at Bayan Obo deposit receives IMA approval
2026-03-06 15:41:56 [Print]
A new mineral, Xianhuaite-(La), discovered by the Mining Research Institute of Baotou Steel (Group) Co., Ltd., has been officially approved by the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (IMA-CNMNC) and assigned the registration number IMA 2025-087. It marks the 29th new mineral identified at the Bayan Obo deposit.
Xianhuaite-(La) occurs in the east orebody and eastern contact zone of the Bayan Obo deposit. It is a rare rare-earth niobate mineral with the ideal chemical formula K2LaNb5O15, containing 72.10% Nb2O5, 17.68% La2O3, and 10.22% K2O in in theoretical composition.
Xianhuaite-(La) occurs in the east orebody and eastern contact zone of the Bayan Obo deposit. It is a rare rare-earth niobate mineral with the ideal chemical formula K2LaNb5O15, containing 72.10% Nb2O5, 17.68% La2O3, and 10.22% K2O in in theoretical composition.

