Beudantite

Description

Beudantite has a hardness of 3½ – 4½ and a specific gravity of 4.48. It was named by Armand Lévy in 1826 in honor of François Sulpice Beudant, a systematic Mineralogist at the University of Paris. According to Mindat, Beudantite is “a secondary mineral occurring in the oxidized zones of polymetallic deposits. It shows a large variety of different habits (tabular, acute rhombohedral, pseudo-cubic, pseudo-cuboctahedral, very rarely also acicular)… Some beudantite (and segnitite) may contain minor Sb replacing Fe.”

There’s around 508 localities that’ve been recorded on Mindat around the world on most continents, with four in Colorado – the Quail Mine and two other unnamed prospects near Keystone, and the Holey Moses Mine, near Rockvale.

While this would make for a great Lead (29%) or Iron (23%) sample for element collectors, its 10% Arsenic might complicate things when it comes to exploring its economic viability as an ore and it doesn’t seem as though it’s commonly mined. However, it’s often associated with other minerals that may be much more lucrative, so no matter where you are, be sure to keep an eye out for a mineral like this and you may stumble on to your next Lead Mine, or possibly a precious metal mine! Regardless, you’ll now be able to identify Beudantite if you see it again!