zarnite

Zarnite is not a recognized mineral species in current mineralogical references. The term has appeared sporadically in older geological writings and hobbyist publications, but there is no published, peer‑reviewed description that establishes a chemical formula, crystal structure, or type locality. As a result, zarnite is not listed in major mineral databases such as Mindat.org or the Handbook of Mineralogy, and it has not been approved by the IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC).

Because there is no formal description, the identity and composition of zarnite remain ambiguous. Reports that use the name are typically considered insufficient for formal recognition and may reflect historic misidentifications, provisional naming, or confusion with similarly named minerals or phases described elsewhere in the literature.

In practical terms, zarnite is largely absent from modern mineralogical discourse as a valid mineral species. When encountered in non-scientific contexts, the term is sometimes used as a fictional or speculative material in literature, games, or speculative geology, rather than as an established natural mineral.

Notes and further reading are generally limited to historical or informal sources. For researchers, the absence of a formal description means that any discussion of zarnite should clearly distinguish between historically used, informal nomenclature and officially recognized mineral species.