Dypingite mineral
Dypingite is the hydrated magnesium carbonate mineral species Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·5H2O, listed as approved with IMA number 1970-011 in the September 2026 IMA-CNMNC list. It is distinct from hydromagnesite, nesquehonite, elemental magnesium and the magnesite commodity. The laboratory products below were identified as dypingite by the study authors; they are not an isolated magnesium-metal product. No constituent-element criticality designation is inherited.
Identifiers & Classification
| System | Identifier | Label |
|---|---|---|
| IMA |
IMA:1970-011
|
Dypingite |
Microbial & Biochemical Mechanisms (1)
Dypingite formation in cyanobacteria-dominated enrichment biofilms
biomineralization
Microbial
In a six-week laboratory experiment, carbonate-free cyanobacteria-dominated enrichments from the Atlin wetland formed biofilm-associated precipitates identified by micro-X-ray diffraction as predominantly dypingite. This supports formation in the mixed microbial system under the tested conditions, not exclusive biological production of this mineral or a pure-culture species-specific mechanism.
Experimental Context & Analytical Limits:
Predominantly filamentous cyanobacteria were enriched from Atlin sediment through three successive cultures over three months in Allen's medium at room temperature (about 20 degrees C for enrichment) with sunlight. Portions of carbonate-free biofilm inoculated 10 mL of 0.45-micrometer-filtered natural groundwater or wetland water in push-capped test tubes. The wetland biotic system received 15 mg NaNO3 and 0.375 mg K2HPO4 per 10 mL; the described abiotic controls contained only filtered water, so nutrient matching is not established. Cultures and controls were incubated at room temperature with sunlight for six weeks. The enrichment was a community, not a demonstrated axenic isolate; the field mat's Lyngbya sp. identification is not assigned as an exact taxonomic identity or sole cause for the laboratory biofilm.
Predominantly filamentous cyanobacteria were enriched from Atlin sediment through three successive cultures over three months in Allen's medium at room temperature (about 20 degrees C for enrichment) with sunlight. Portions of carbonate-free biofilm inoculated 10 mL of 0.45-micrometer-filtered natural groundwater or wetland water in push-capped test tubes. The wetland biotic system received 15 mg NaNO3 and 0.375 mg K2HPO4 per 10 mL; the described abiotic controls contained only filtered water, so nutrient matching is not established. Cultures and controls were incubated at room temperature with sunlight for six weeks. The enrichment was a community, not a demonstrated axenic isolate; the field mat's Lyngbya sp. identification is not assigned as an exact taxonomic identity or sole cause for the laboratory biofilm.
Curated Evidence Points:
Support
Source:
power_2007
Section 4.3, Figure 5A-B and Figure 6 identify rosette-like biofilm precipitates as predominantly dypingite by SEM, EDS and micro-XRD, with no nesquehonite detected in either biological laboratory system. Table 2 records dypingite in both biotic waters, nesquehonite in the untreated wetland-water abiotic control and no precipitate in the groundwater abiotic control. These are distinct arms within one experiment, not independent studies. Photosynthesis-driven alkalinization is the authors' interpretation; biofilm microsite pH was not directly measured.
Partial
Source:
power_2007
The NaOH-only wetland-water control also formed dypingite together with nesquehonite and an unidentified magnesium carbonate at pH 10.3, so dypingite occurrence does not establish microbial necessity. Section 3.2 specifies 0.5 M NaOH whereas Section 4.3 specifies 0.1 M; that dose contradiction is unresolved. Section 4.3 describes approximately equal parts of three phases whereas Section 5.1 calls nesquehonite dominant; no quantitative phase fractions are accepted. Nutrient additions and community composition limit causal attribution, and the stated protocol does not establish a replicate-level precision for the phase comparison.
Partial
Source:
power_2007
Sections 4.2 and 5.1 say pre-existing carbonate prevented identification of newly formed phases in the separate field microcosms. Their dissolved magnesium decreases therefore are not dypingite-specific formation yields. Minor dypingite in the field abiotic precipitate may have formed by nesquehonite decomposition after collection. The laboratory study does not demonstrate a quantified pure-phase recovery yield, magnesium-metal production or industrial deployment, and it does not establish a universal microbial enhancement of magnesium-carbonate precipitation.
Sources & References
-
ima_2026_09: IMA-CNMNC. The New IMA List of Minerals, September 2026. PDF page 60, Dypingite row; page 1 column and status definitions.
https://cnmnc.units.it/files/editor/IMA_Master_List_(2026-09).pdf (accessed 2026-10-14) -
power_2007: Power, Wilson, Thom, Dipple and Southam (2007). Biologically induced mineralization of dypingite by cyanobacteria from an alkaline wetland near Atlin, British Columbia, Canada. Geochemical Transactions 8:13. DOI 10.1186/1467-4866-8-13. Sections 3.2-3.5, 4.2-4.3 and 5.1; Figures 5-6 and Table 2 for the laboratory precipitation experiment.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1467-4866-8-13 (accessed 2026-10-14)
Curation History
| Timestamp | Curator | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
2026-10-14T05:31:48.560266+00:00 |
codex (GPT-6; codex) | CREATE | Created dypingite mineral identity and bounded cyanobacterial enrichment phase-formation evidence, retaining abiotic controls and source contradictions. |
Record source: data/records/dypingite.yaml