Home > Långban Minerals – January 23 > MS0875 Roeblingite

Roeblingite - Sold


Roeblingite is a calcium manganese lead silicate sulfate mineral originally discovered at Franklin, New Jersey (Penfield and Foote, 1897). The name honors Colonel Washington Augustus Roebling (1837-1926), of Trenton, New Jersey, USA, American civil engineer who built the Brooklyn Bridge. Roebling was an avid mineral collector, and his collection went to the Smithsonian Institution. The composition of roeblingite remained in question until the crystal structure solution of Moore and Shen (1984). Platy crystals of roeblingite, to 8 mm, cover a fracture surface in manganese ore matrix. Some of the crystals show vicinal faces, which is quite rare for this mineral. An outstanding example of the species!

This specimen was part of the personal collection of Ralph Merrill, proprietor of the prolific mail order business Minerals Unlimited. He obtained the piece in 1982. Merrill's collection card and label also ship with the specimen.