---

Metavauxite

Siglo Veinte mine, Llallagua, Potosí Department, Bolivia

Thumbnail, 2.0 by 0.7 by 0.6 cm

Specimen on reserve

Metavauxite is the rarest of the three vauxite group minerals. When I saw these examples at the Tucson 2008 show, I quickly purchased all three available. Metavauxite has an attractive sea foam green color, and forms silky sprays. These sprays defy the focus optics of my camera, as seen in the photographs below. Type locality. The tight sprays may have some contacting on their sides, and some clay on the terminations of the fragile blades. This example has a few spots of dark blue vauxite attached.