dispergoitua

Dispergoitua is a proposed mineral species described in 2023 by researchers C. V. Mora and L. S. Ren in the Journal of Hypothetical Mineralogy. The name derives from dispergere, reflecting its reported habit of widely dispersed microcrystals in certain metamorphic rocks. It has not yet received formal IMA approval.

Chemically, Dispergoitua is described as a hydrous aluminum-magnesium silicate with variable iron content. It is said to form a layered aluminosilicate framework with interlayer water, yielding a flexible structure that tolerates compositional variation. Diffraction data suggest a monoclinic crystal system and a layered microstructure.

Appearance is reported as pale gray to pale green, translucent in thin sections, with a vitreous to pearly luster. Mohs hardness is around 4, and it reportedly shows cleavage along at least one plane.

Occurrence is based on a single quarry exposure in an alpine metamorphic belt, where low-temperature hydrothermal alteration and dehydration of aluminous minerals are thought to promote its formation. The mineral is described as forming in situ within altered pelitic rocks near dehydration zones.

Significance: If validated, Dispergoitua would expand the inventory of hydrous aluminosilicates and inform metamorphic processes. Current status is tentative; further studies and IMA approval are needed to confirm its existence and classification.