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Fourmarierite - Sold


Fourmarierite is a complex hydrated lead uranium oxide mineral first found in the Congo (Buttgenbach, 1924). The mineral here forms an orange band in massive fluorite. The radioactivity of the fourmarierite (and associated uranium minerals) has darked the fluorite to nearly black, and caused some dissociation of fluorine in the fluorite. When broken, vanishingly small amounts of fluorine are released, caused this matrix to smell (Stinkspat, Stinkfluss). This specimen was part of the personal collection of Ralph Merrill, proprietor of the prolific mail order business Minerals Unlimited. From the Magnus Vonsen estate; also carries an R.M. Wilke label.