Near infrared detection of ammonium minerals.

Diagnostic near‐infrared spectral features have been identified for minerals with ammonium (NH4+) bound in the crystal structure. Spectral bands near 2.12, 2.02, and 1.56 μm are characteristic of synthetic and natural NH4‐bearing minerals. Laboratory spectra of NH4‐bearing minerals are distinct from spectra of OH‐bearing minerals and have diagnostic shifts in band position among different mineral types. NH4‐bearing minerals were detected at several mineralized hot‐spring deposits in the western U.S. by means of hand‐held and airborne instruments. Near‐infrared detection of NH4‐bearing minerals may provide useful information for prospecting for certain ore deposits and may provide a better understanding of the nitrogen cycle within geologic environments.

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