Merelaniite: From muck to brassThe Merelani Hills of Tanzania have revealed the latest entry to the

Merelaniite: From muck to brassThe Merelani Hills of Tanzania have revealed the latest entry to the mineralogical lexicography (now at 5,179 and counting) to add to the may beautiful gems such as Tanzanite (see http://bit.ly/2fJTpH2) and Tsavorite garnet (see http://bit.ly/1ygBzM5) that it produces. The mineral had been known to miners seeking these gems for ages as a fluff of tiny black needles that needed cleaning off specimens before they entered the market.Considerable analysis of its properties, chemical composition and structure (involving taking tiny slices off tiny needles with a diamond knife for XRay diffraction analysis) were needed before Merelanite was officially recognised by the appropriate authorities. Its composition turns out to be complex, making it a sulphide of lead and molybdenum, with admixtures of vanadium, antimony, bismuth, and selenium.LozImage credit: John Jaszczak /Michigan Technological Universityhttp://bit.ly/2f20Z1Rhttp://bit.ly/2fjUyp1http://bit.ly/2fjTXUiwww.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/4/115/pdf -- source link

More pics about