Gaylussite is a carbonate mineral, a hydrated sodium calcium carbonate, formula Na2Ca(CO3)2·5H2O. It occurs as translucent, vitreous white to grey to yellow monoclinic prismatic crystals. It is an unstable mineral which dehydrates in dry air and decomposes in water.[
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Discovery and occurrence
It is formed as an evaporite from alkali Lake waters. It also occurs rarely as veinlets in alkalic .[ It was first described in 1826 for an occurrence in Lagunillas, Mérida, Venezuela. It was named for French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778–1850).][
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The mineral has been recently (2014) reported from drill core in Lonar lake in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, India. Lonar lake was created by a meteor impact during the Pleistocene Epoch[Anoop et al., Palaeoenvironmental implications of evaporative gaylussite crystals from Lonar Lake, central India, Journal of Quaternary Science, V., Issue 4, pp. 349–359, May 2013]
