Minerals: Veatchite
With the chemical formula of Sr2B11O16(OH)5·H2O, veatchite is classified as a borate mineral. The first known discovery of this mineral was in 1938, in a borax mine, and it was named for John Veatch, “the first person to detect boron in the mineral waters of California”.
Veatchite crystalizes in the monoclinic crystal system and has a Mohs hardness of ~2, thereby making it a relatively soft mineral. It is often transparent or translucent, and typically is only found in white and colorless varieties. A relatively rare mineral, veatchite has no known commercial uses.
For more in depth information about veatchite, check out what mindat.org, webmineral.com, handbookofmineralogy.org, and mineralatlas.eu have to say about it.
Sources/Further Reading: ( 1 - image 1 ) ( 2 - image 2 and 3 )
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