Home > California Borate Minerals – July 22 > MS0952 Veatchite

Veatchite - Sold


Veatchite is a hydrated strontium borate. The mineral name honors geologist John P. Veatch (1808-1870), who first recognized the presence of borate in the waters of California. Switzer (1938) originally described the mineral as calcium bearing, but later Switzer & Brannock (1950) showed that veatchite contained strontium rather than calcium, thus making it the first strontium borate mineral. Grice & Pring (2012) studied veatchite samples from several localities, and found this material to the 2M polytype. Veatchite here forms bundles of tiny bladed crystals, each 1 mm across. These small bundles have combined into a friable, porous aggregate of stark white sparkiling veatchite. Likely found in a pocket lined with colemanite crystals, a few subhedral colemanite crystals (to 1.5 cm) form a contrasting matrix. This material, collected by Walt Lombardo in 1981, represents the richest veatchite specimens known. Excellent and pretty specimen.