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Whewellite

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CR598561

Whewellite

Rare Mineral

Description Tabs

Description
Locality: 
Paitzdorf, Ronneburg Uranium Deposit, Gera, Thuringia, Germany
Class: 
Single Crystal
Size Range: 
Thumbnail (1-3cm)
Size: 
2.3 × 0.7 × 0.5 cm
Description

This species, named after the William Whewell (1794-1866), a British Naturalist and Scientist, is one of the few collectible minerals in nature that are partly composed of organic compounds.

The toe-nail specimen shown above is an outstanding example, and one that I have owned and sold once before. The specimen consists of a dark crystal, dark due to heavy inclusions of the rare nickel iron sulfide, smythite, set on a whewellite matrix.

The larges crystal measures 2.3 cm in size. The crystal edges are very sharply formed, with only microscopic chipping present along the lower right side of the crystal.

This is really quite outstanding crystal for the species

Mineral Data
What's on the rock

Whewellite

Formula: 
Ca(C2O4)·H2O
Strunz: 
10.AB.45
Crystal System: 
Orthorhombic
Hardness: 
2.5 - 3.0