Roquesite mineral
Roquesite is the copper-indium sulfide mineral species CuInS2, listed by IMA-CNMNC in September 2026 with renamed status (Rn) and IMA number 1962-001. Picot and Pierrot's original description concerns natural material from Charrier, Allier, France, observed as inclusions in bornite. Powder diffraction, reflected-light microscopy and electron-microprobe observations support its distinction from the associated host minerals. The paper compares this natural material with a separately supplied synthetic CuInS2 specimen; that comparator is not the natural mineral specimen or a microbial product. The synthetic powder pattern contains additional broad central lines whose origin the authors could not test because material was scarce. The natural specimen has reported traces of iron and zinc, so qualitative element-map contrast is not evidence of absolute chemical purity. Both natural and synthetic microprobe analyses total above 100 percent; the authors attribute the excess mainly to sulfur-standard and correction difficulties and also discuss possible reference-metal surface oxidation. Those analyses support the mineral assignment without establishing a closed recovery balance. This record identifies the mineral species, not elemental indium, the entire polymetallic ore or every manufactured material of nominal CuInS2 composition. No microbial mechanism, isolated-metal yield, industrial recovery or constituent-derived criticality is asserted.
Identifiers & Classification
| System | Identifier | Label |
|---|---|---|
| IMA |
IMA:1962-001
|
Roquesite |
Sources & References
-
ima_2026_09: IMA-CNMNC. The New IMA List of Minerals, September 2026; definitions on PDF page 1, terms on page 2 and Roquesite row on PDF page 187: CuInS2, Rn, 1962-001, France.
https://cnmnc.units.it/files/editor/IMA_Master_List_(2026-09).pdf (accessed 2026-10-12) -
picot_pierrot1963: Picot P and Pierrot R (1963). La roquésite, premier minéral d'indium: CuInS2. Bulletin de la Société française de Minéralogie et de Cristallographie 86(1):7-14. DOI 10.3406/bulmi.1963.5607. Complete original article inspected through the eight public Persée page scans; natural/synthetic comparison, Figures 1-6, Tables I-IV, and analytical limitations and occurrence on page 13.
https://doi.org/10.3406/bulmi.1963.5607 (accessed 2026-10-12)
Curation History
| Timestamp | Curator | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
2026-10-12T04:38:09Z |
codex (GPT-6; codex) | CREATE | Created the distinct natural mineral identity from current IMA authority and the complete original description; retained synthetic comparator and analytical limitations without adding a microbial mechanism or inherited criticality. |
Record source: data/records/roquesite.yaml