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Claringbullite - Sold


Claringbullite, Cu4FCl(OH)6, is a copper fluoride chloride hyroxide. The mineral name honors Gordon Frank Claringbull (1911-1990), former Keeper of Mineralogy and Director of the Natural History Museum (London) (Fejer et al. 1977). During a prolific series of rosasite specimen finds in 2007-2008, a limited amount of cuprite came out of the Ojuela mine. Careful examination of the cuprite revealed interesting mineralization, including platy blue claringbullite. Single crystal X-ray diffraction at the University of Arizona identified the mineral. A bit of a controversy occurred later, but ultimately the discovery of this material redefined the chemistry of this species. This is a rich example with 1-2 mm plates filling a 1.5 cm void in cuprite, with later pale green brochantite.