Moving mountains for you
Switch currency

Current Live Auctions

Current Live Fixed Price Sales

Merelaniite

Views:
Watches:
UVM573457

Merelaniite

Co-Type Material
New Mineral type

Description Tabs

Description
Locality: 
Merelani Hills, Arusha Region, Tanzania (United Republic)
Class: 
Crystal Group/Cluster
Size Range: 
Micromount (under 1cm)
Size: 
0.2 × 0.1 × 0.05 cm
Description

A rare micro size specimen of Merelaniite, a newly described member of the Cylindrite group described in 2016.   This may be the first specimen of the mineral offered online!     The mineral has an interesting history, having first been misidentified in 2012 as Molybdenite.   When exceptional specimens of Wurtzite and Alabandite were discovered in the Merelani Hills, John Jaszczak and Michael Rumsey began a systematic analysis of sulfide materials from the region.   In this process, using Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, they determined this phase was not molybdenite and likely a new mineral.    The holotype specimens were all extracted from crevices in an unusually large Alabandite crystal.  ​   This specimen consists of tiny whisker like crystals mounted on a thin pedestal.

 

 

 

Mineral Data
What's on the rock

Merelaniite

Formula: 
Mo4Pb4VSbS15
Group Parent: 
Cylindrite
Crystal System: 
Cylindrite Group
Colour: 
Dark grey

Seller Information

Payment options: offline, paypal_wpp, paypal_wps