Żabinskiite and maneckiite – new minerals to honour Professors

---

In the June issue of the scientific journal Mineralogical Magazine, two papers were published dealing with new minerals which were named ‘żabinskiite’ and ‘maneckiite’ by the submitting authors to pay tribute to the outstanding accomplishments of Professor Witold Żabiński and Professor Andrzej Manecki.

The honoured professors, affiliated with the <code>Department of Mineralogy, Petrography and Geochemistry at the </code>Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection of the AGH University of Science and Technology, have educated many generations of entrants into the fields of geology and mineralogy. Both the professors were and still remain masters for numerous people, and Professor Manecki still actively participates in the life of the Department.

This discovery as well as the complex characterisation of the new minerals are due to an international team headed by Associate Professor Adam Pieczka, DSc, from the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection. The co-authors are Bożena Gołębiowska, DSc, and Adam Włodek, MSc, who are employed at the same faculty, and Bogdan Rutkowski, PhD, from the Department of Physical and Powder Metallurgy at the Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science of the AGH UST. Scientists from the University of Wrocław, the University of Silesia, the University of Warsaw teamed up with scientists from foreign institutions (the University of Manitoba and the California Institute of Technology) were also involved in the research.

The new minerals come from the territory of Poland and have been approved and listed by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (IMA-CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association.

Żabińskiite (Ca(Al_0.5Ta_0.5)(SiO₄)O) is a new member in the titanite group, whereas maneckiite (NaCa₂(Fe³⁺Mg)Mn₂(PO₄)₆(H₂O)₂) is a new phosphate mineral of the wicksite supergroup.

---