Home > Laskowski Ⅷ – September 21 > MS1950 Zunyite
Zunyite
- Postmasburg
- Northern Cape Province
- South Africa
- 4.3 × 3.2 × 1.6 cm – Miniature specimen (fits into a 5 cm cube)
Zunyite is an aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide chloride. Hillebrand (1885) named the mineral after the Zuni mine at Silverton, Colorado. Zunyite has tetrahedral symmetry, which is one of the point groups in the cubic crystal system. Linus Pauling solved the crystal structure in 1933 and found unusual Si5O16 groups, which remain unique to this mineral species.
Zunyite here forms tetrahedral crystals to 3 mm; they show minor corner truncations indicating that two different (i.e. positive and negative) tetrahedral forms are present. The matrix consists of pyrophyllite and alunite. From the collection of E.R. Laskowski (1949-2020), a mining engineer who retired to Tucson, Arizona. A Donald Cooke collection label accompanies the specimen.
Price: $45
Item code: MS1950
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