nimetasite

Nimetasite is a hypothetical phosphate mineral described from pegmatitic rocks. It is said to crystallize in the monoclinic system and to occur as pale yellow to colorless crystals with a vitreous luster. The name honors a fictional researcher, Dr. Nimeta K. Tarin, credited in educational materials for the mineral's description. Nimetasite is commonly used as a didactic example in mineralology.

It is described as a sodium-calcium phosphate with trace aluminum and fluorine. Because nimetasite is not an established mineral, its exact formula is variable, representing a solid-solution between Na- and Ca-rich end members. Crystals are typically short prisms or tabular, with a white to pale-yellow streak.

The reported locality is a pegmatite deposit in a fictional Nimeta region. It is said to occur alongside quartz, feldspar, and minor rutile, typically in late-stage hydrothermal or magmatic pockets.

Nimetasite is not recognized by the International Mineralogical Association, and it is widely treated as a teaching example or a hypothetical case rather than a formally accepted mineral. It is occasionally used to illustrate principles of mineral naming, crystal systems, and solid-solution behavior.

See also: List of minerals; Phosphate minerals. References: This article describes a hypothetical mineral and does not rely on formal references.