A newly discovered phosphate mineral has been named after Bob Downs, a professor of geology at the University of Arizona, and director of the UA Mineral Museum. [right, credit UA]
The published announcement describes Bobdownsite from the Yukon as "tabular, colorless, and transparent, with a white streak and vitreous luster. It is brittle, with a Mohs hardness of ~5; no cleavage, parting, or macroscopic twinning is observed. The fracture is uneven and subconchoidal. The measured and calculated densities are 3.14 and 3.16 g/cm3, respectively. Bobdownsite is insoluble in water, acetone, or hydrochloric acid."
Ref: BOBDOWNSITE, A NEW MINERAL SPECIES FROM BIG FISH RIVER, YUKON, CANADA, AND ITS STRUCTURAL RELATIONSHIP WITH WHITLOCKITE-TYPE COMPOUNDS, by Kimberly T. Tait, Madison C. Barkley, Richard M. Thompson, Marcus J. Origlieri, Stanley H. Evans, Charles T. Prewitt, and Hexiong Yang, The Canadian Mineralogist, 2011;49 1065-1078
http://www.canmin.org/cgi/content/abstract/49/4/1065
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