Addis Ababa, August 12, 2026 (FMC) — Russian scientists have discovered a previously unknown rare-earth-rich mineral on the Kola Peninsula, a finding that could contribute to research into advanced materials and technologies, TV BRICS reported, citing Saint Petersburg State University.
Researchers from Saint Petersburg State University, the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the A. E. Fersman Mineralogical Museum identified the mineral in the Khibiny alkaline massif, a region known for significant rare-earth resources. Provisionally named Kola Ashcroftine, the mineral contains yttrium, silicon, potassium, sodium, calcium, manganese, fluorine and various rare-earth elements.
Scientists say its composition makes it both a mineralogical rarity and a potential source of information about chemical processes occurring within the Earth’s crust.
According to Sergey Krivovichev, director of the Kola Science Centre and professor at Saint Petersburg State University, the mineral has an unusually complex crystalline structure consisting of silicate nanotubes connected through a zeolite-like framework. It belongs to a group comprising less than 3.5 percent of the most structurally complex minerals known to science.
Researchers are particularly interested in the mineral’s ability to incorporate different rare-earth elements and in its silicate structures, which could potentially support ion-exchange processes used in water purification, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy and nuclear energy.
Scientists believe Kola Ashcroftine formed in a hydrothermal environment at relatively low temperatures. This could make it possible to explore laboratory synthesis using relatively gentle chemical methods, potentially opening avenues for developing new materials.
The discovery comes amid other recent mineralogical findings in BRICS countries that are expanding scientific understanding of critical and rare mineral resources.
In China, scientists have identified Wusiheite, a new germanium-rich mineral containing up to 72 percent germanium oxide. The mineral is China’s first independently occurring germanate mineral and the third germanium-rich mineral identified in the mining area, TV BRICS reported, citing Science and Technology Daily.
Germanium is a strategic material used in semiconductors, fibre-optic communications, infrared optical systems, solar cells and aerospace equipment. It also has applications in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
In Brazil, researchers in Juína, Mato Grosso State, have identified grahampearsonite, a new mineral found inside an ultra-deep diamond. The mineral is composed of calcium, phosphorus and oxygen and is believed to have formed at depths of between 450 and 750 kilometres beneath Earth’s surface, TV BRICS reported, citing Brazilian outlet Metrópoles.
Scientists say such ultra-deep diamonds act as natural time capsules, preserving minerals formed deep inside the planet. Studying them provides insights into the structure of Earth’s mantle and the movement of elements such as phosphorus between the mantle and crust.
The discoveries highlight the continuing importance of mineralogical research not only for understanding Earth’s deep geological processes, but also for identifying mineral resources with potential applications in advanced science and technology.