Home > Mexico IV Ojuela II – January 19 > MS1757 Scrutinyite with Plattnerite on Rosasite

Scrutinyite with Plattnerite on Rosasite - Sold


Scrutinyite and plattnerite are both polymorphs of lead dioxide. The name plattnerite first appears in Haidinger's 1845 Handbuch der bestimmenden Mineralogie. The mineral name honors Carl Friedrich Plattner (1800-1858), professor of at the Freiburg Mining Academy. Scrutinyite takes its names from the careful study, scrutiny, necessary for its initial recognition (Taggart et al., 1988). Scrutinyite seems to only occur in association with plattnerite, but at a very limited number of localities. Plattnerite forms black prisms and needles while scrutinyite forms red-brown plates and baldes.

Scrutinyite and plattnerite microcrystals appear as a light dusting on rosasite and malachite. The structure of the specimen is stalactitic from the underlying limonite matrix. A vintage label from The Prospector's Shop accompanies the specimen. This historical specimen shows that scrutinyite came out in teh 1960s but waited two further decades for its recognition.