Home > Laskowski Ⅱ – June 29 > MS1829 Wiluite (California!) found 2003

Wiluite (California!) found 2003


Wiluite is a boron-rich mineral related to vesuvianite. Its story begins with Pallas (1793), who described the mineral and its discovery. Gallizin (1802) wrote how renowned Russian mineralogist Vasily Severgin (1765-1826) called the mineral wilouïte. In 1821, German mineralogist Karl von Leonhard recast the name as wiluite for his Handbuch der Oryktognosie. However in the 1892 System of Mineralogy, American mineralogist E.S. Dana considered wiluite synonymous with vesuvianite. After a century of obfuscation, Groat et al. (1998) recognized wiluite as a distinct species, in which boron exceeds 2.5 atoms per formula unit. Previously Groat et al. (1996) found 2.73 boron atoms per formula unit in samples from this California locality; this material is therefore wiluite.

This is crystal group of wiluite, consisting of individuals to 8 mm. Wiluite here is dark green with good luster. From the collection of E.R. Laskowski (1949-2020), a mining engineer who retired to Tucson, Arizona. Laskowski self-collected this specimen August 16, 2003.

Price: $250

Item code: MS1829

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