iodate mineral

Iodate minerals are a small group of naturally occurring inorganic compounds primarily found in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. These minerals are typically yellow and occur sporadically, mixed with nitrates, within beds of caliche, which is a hard, cemented mixture of nitrates, sulfates, halides, and sand.1

Iodate minerals are soluble and unstable, meaning they are almost exclusively found in arid regions with few microorganisms. The most well-known iodate mineral is lautarite. While iodine itself is an essential element for thyroid gland function and has various uses in medicine and industry, iodate minerals are specifically defined by their chemical composition and their geological occurrence.123