Who's Who in Mineral Names: Eugene “Gene” Stuart Meieran (b. 1937)

Meieranite, Na2Sr3MgSi6O17, is a newly discovered member of the nordite group found in the Wessels mine, Kalahari manganese field, Northern Cape Province, Republic of South Africa (Yang et al. 2019). It occurs as blue spots in pale green sugilite associated with prismatic gray aegirine and bladed colorless pectolite. Granular aggregates of pale blue to blue meieranite are less than 0.5 mm in all dimensions. The association most probably formed as a result of a hydrothermal event producing metamorphism at a temperature below 420°C. The new mineral shows good cleavage on {010} but no parting or twinning when observed macroscopically. Meieranite is brittle with a Mohs hardness of 5.5 and a pale blue streak. It is insoluble in water, acetone, and hydrochloric acid. It has a crystal structure identical to other members of the nordite group but is the first member of the group that does not contain essential rare-earth elements. The mineral was named in honor of Dr. Eugene Stuart Meieran, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, who has made many important contributions involving quality control for the raw materials required for modern microchips. He is also a strong advocate for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair that aims to promote scientific literacy in young people. Additionally, Meieran is very active in the promotion of specimen mineralogy.