New Mineral Amaterasuite Named After Japanese Goddess; Dark Green Stone Includes Strontium, Titanium, Chlorine

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, August 15, 2025

A collaborative research team of scientists from the University of Tokyo, Yamaguchi University and other institutions has discovered a previously unknown blackish-green mineral in a jadeitite specimen from Okayama Prefecture.

The team announced on Aug. 7 that the mineral was named Amaterasuite, after Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess in Japanese mythology.

The new mineral is expected to contribute to studying a previously unknown jadeitite formation process.

Small amounts of the new mineral were found in a jadeitite collected around Mt. Osa in Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, according to the research team.

The team analyzed the mineral’s elements and structure at facilities such as SPring-8, a synchrotron radiation facility operated by Riken, a national research and development agency.

They found that the mineral consists of strontium, titanium and chlorine, possessing a unique structure previously unseen in other minerals.

The International Mineralogical Association has officially recognized Amaterasuite as a new mineral. These findings were published in the Japan Association of Mineralogical Sciences’ academic journal.

Jadeite has been treasured in Japan since ancient times and is sometimes called the “Jewel of the Orient.”

In 2016, the association selected jadeite as Japan’s national stone, symbolizing the nation’s stone culture. The mineral forms where tectonic plates subduct. However, the exact process of its formation is not fully understood.

“By examining the elements and morphology of the new mineral, we can gain clues about how it transformed in a subduction zone where tectonic plates sink,” said Tohoku University Prof. Tatsuki Tsujimori, who specializes in geology and petrology.