| Nekoite | |
|---|---|
 Nekoite from Iron Cap Mine, Landsman Camp, Arizona | |
| General | |
| Category | Mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | Ca3Si6O15·7H2O |
| IMA symbol | Nk |
| Crystal system | Triclinic |
| Identification | |
| Color | White |
| Cleavage | Distinct/Good |
| Lustre | Vitreous |
| Streak | White |
| Density | 2.21 g/cm3 |
| Pleochroism | Non-pleochroic |
| Dispersion | r > v weak |
| References | [1] |
Nekoite is a triclinic, white silicate mineral consisting of calcium, silicon, oxygen and water. Its discovery was first published in 1956. [2] [3]
Its name derives from okenite, which it was originally mistaken for. [3]
This translucent crystal is described as having a pearl white color. It is also said to have a vitreous (glass-like) lustre. [3]
It is featured in Stardew Valley as a minor item obtained from geodes.
Agate is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in Ancient Greece, in assorted jewelry and in the seal stones of Greek warriors, while bead necklaces with pierced and polished agate date back to the 3rd millennium BCE in the Indus Valley civilisation.
Analcime (; from Ancient Greek ἀνάλκιμος (análkimos) 'not strong') or analcite is a white, gray, or colorless tectosilicate mineral. Analcime consists of hydrated sodium aluminium silicate in cubic crystalline form. Its chemical formula is NaAlSi2O6·H2O. Minor amounts of potassium and calcium substitute for sodium. A silver-bearing synthetic variety also exists (Ag-analcite). Analcime is usually classified as a zeolite mineral, but structurally and chemically it is more similar to the feldspathoids. Analcime isn't classified as an isometric crystal, as although the crystal structure appears to be isometric, it is usually off only by a fraction of an angle. However, there are truly isometric samples of the mineral, which makes its classification even more difficult. Due to the differences between the samples being too slight, there's no merit from having multiple species names, so as a result analcime is a common example for minerals occurring in multiple crystal systems and space groups. It was first described by French geologist Déodat de Dolomieu, who called it zéolithe dure, meaning hard zeolite. It was found in lava in Cyclops, Italy. The mineral is IMA approved, and had been grandfathered, meaning the name analcime is believed to refer to a valid species til this day.
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is a qualitative ordinal scale, from 1 to 10, characterizing scratch resistance of minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material.
Orthoclase, or orthoclase feldspar (endmember formula KAlSi3O8), is an important tectosilicate mineral which forms igneous rock. The name is from the Ancient Greek for "straight fracture", because its two cleavage planes are at right angles to each other. It is a type of potassium feldspar, also known as K-feldspar. The gem known as moonstone (see below) is largely composed of orthoclase.
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to iron(III) inclusions. Jasper breaks with a smooth surface and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for items such as vases, seals, and snuff boxes. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9. Jaspillite is a banded-iron-formation rock that often has distinctive bands of jasper.
Calcium chloride is an inorganic compound, a salt with the chemical formula CaCl2. It is a white crystalline solid at room temperature, and it is highly soluble in water. It can be created by neutralising hydrochloric acid with calcium hydroxide.
Copper(II) sulfate, also known as copper sulphate, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula CuSO4. It forms hydrates CuSO4·nH2O, where n can range from 1 to 7. The pentahydrate (n = 5), a bright blue crystal, is the most commonly encountered hydrate of copper(II) sulfate. Older names for the pentahydrate include blue vitriol, bluestone, vitriol of copper, and Roman vitriol. It exothermically dissolves in water to give the aquo complex [Cu(H2O)6]2+, which has octahedral molecular geometry. The structure of the solid pentahydrate reveals a polymeric structure wherein copper is again octahedral but bound to four water ligands. The Cu(II)(H2O)4 centers are interconnected by sulfate anions to form chains. Anhydrous copper sulfate is a light grey powder.
Amateur geology or rock collecting is the non-professional study and hobby of collecting rocks and minerals or fossil specimens from the natural environment. In Australia, New Zealand and Cornwall, the activities of amateur geologists are called fossicking. The first amateur geologists were prospectors looking for valuable minerals and gemstones for commercial purposes. Eventually, however, more people have been drawn to amateur geology for recreational purposes, mainly for the beauty that rocks and minerals provide.
Inchiri is a region in western Mauritania. Its capital and only city is Akjoujt. It borders the regions of Adrar to the east, Trarza to the south, and Dakhlet Nouadhibou to the north and west, along with a short Atlantic Ocean coastline. The region is known for its rich copper deposits, and therefore is heavily mined. According to the World Health Organization, there is a malaria risk during the rainy season, which lasts from July to October. Former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was born and raised in Akjoujt.
Albite is a plagioclase feldspar mineral. It is the sodium endmember of the plagioclase solid solution series. It represents a plagioclase with less than 10% anorthite content. The pure albite endmember has the formula NaAlSi
3O
8. It is a tectosilicate. Its color is usually pure white, hence its name from Latin, albus. It is a common constituent in felsic rocks.
Torbernite is a radioactive, hydrated green copper uranyl phosphate mineral, found in granites and other uranium-bearing deposits as a secondary mineral. Its name derives from the Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman (1735–1784), It is also known as chalcolite. Torbernite is isostructural with the related uranium mineral, autunite.
Cobaltite is a sulfide mineral composed of cobalt, arsenic, and sulfur, CoAsS. Its impurities may contain up to 10% iron and variable amounts of nickel. Structurally, it resembles pyrite (FeS2) with one of the sulfur atoms replaced by an arsenic atom.
Mindat.org is a non-commercial interactive online database covering minerals based in the United States. Originally created by Jolyon Ralph as a private project in 1993, it was launched as a community-editable website in October 2000. As of 2023 it is operated by the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
The Khibiny Mountains is one of the two main mountain ranges of the Kola Peninsula, Russia, within the Arctic Circle, located between Imandra and Umbozero lakes. The range is also known as Khibiny Massif, Khibinsky Mountains, Khibinsky Tundras, Khibins or Khibiny. The Khibiny National Park was set up in 2018.
Kyawthuite is a rare mineral with a simple formula: Bi3+Sb5+O4. It is a natural bismuth antimonate. Kyawthuite is monoclinic, with space group I2/c, and is isostructural with clinocervantite, its trivalent-antimony-analogue. Kyawthuite is also an antimony-analogue of clinobisvanite. Kyawthuite was discovered in the vicinity of Mogok in Myanmar, an area famous for its variety of gemstone minerals. Only one sample of the naturally occurring form of this mineral has been found and is stored at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
The fluoride phosphates or phosphate fluorides are inorganic double salts that contain both fluoride and phosphate anions. In mineralogy, Hey's Chemical Index of Minerals groups these as 22.1. The Nickel-Strunz grouping is 8.BN.
The sulfate chlorides are double salts containing both sulfate (SO42–) and chloride (Cl–) anions. They are distinct from the chlorosulfates, which have a chlorine atom attached to the sulfur as the ClSO3− anion.
The sulfate carbonates are a compound carbonates, or mixed anion compounds that contain sulfate and carbonate ions. Sulfate carbonate minerals are in the 7.DG and 5.BF Nickel-Strunz groupings.
Queitite is a lead zinc silicate sulphate that was named after the mineral dealer Clive S. Queit, who collected the first specimens. It got approved by the IMA in 1979, and it is an extremely rare secondary mineral.