Home > Type Localities II – October 30 > MS0813 Carnallite

Carnallite - Sold


Carnallite is a hydrated chloride of potassium and magnesium. The mineral is water-soluble, and occurs in certain salt deposits. Rose (1856) named the mineral after Rudolph von Carnall (1804-1874), Prussian mining engineer. This is a single crystal of carnallite, preserved in a glass vial with a wax seal. This specimen may be a recrystallization product from the salt works. Nevertheless, it is quite historical. This specimen was part of the personal collection of Ralph Merrill, proprietor of the prolific mail order business Minerals Unlimited. Ralph Merrill obatined this specimen from Clifford Frondel in 1947, and the piece still bears its Harvard Mineralogical Museum label.