Ferroselite

Ferroselite is an iron selenide of general formula FeSe₂ precipitated under reducing conditions in anoxic environments. It is a source of selenium in the Rocky Mountains where selenium occurrence is associated with Upper Cretaceous shale deposits.

It was first reported in 1955 for an occurrence in the Ust’-Uyuk uranium deposit in Tuva, Siberia.[1]

In the frame of safety assessment calculations made for deep disposal of high-level radioactive waste, ferroselite (and its polymorph dzharkenite) is also considered in geochemical calculations as one of the mineral phases limiting the solubility of Selenium-79.[4]

See also

* Dzharkenite, also of FeSe₂ formula, a polymorph of ferroselite
* Coccolithophorid, a group of marine planktonic unicellular algae fixing selenium in Upper Cretaceous chalk and shale formations
* Emiliania huxleyi, a major species of coccolithophorid active in selenium bioconcentration

External links

* Dzharkenite (FeSe₂) on mindat.org

* Dzharkenite (FeSe₂) on webmineral.com

References

1. ^ a b Ferroselite (FeSe₂) on mindat.org
2. ^ Ferroselite (FeSe₂) on webmineral.com
3. ^ Ferroselite (FeSe₂) in Handbook of Mineralogy (rruff.geo.arizona.edu)
4. ^ Marivoet et al. (2001) Safir 2 report. Ondraf/Niras

List of minerals