The story
From Sphenisciformes (“the taxonomic order comprising the penguins”) + -ite, after its discovery in the penguin nesting grounds on Elephant Island.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
spheniscidite
Today it means: A monoclinic-prismatic brown mineral containing aluminum, hydrogen, iron, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and potassium. Full definition →