Zunyite

Description

Zunyite has a hardness of 7 and a specific gravity of 2.88. It was first found in 1884 at the Zuni Mine, and has since been found in around another 94 localities worldwide, typically occurring in highly aluminous shales and hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks in association with pyrophyllite, kaolinite, alunite, diaspore, rutile, pyrite, hematite and quartz.

While Chlorine, Fluorine, Oxygen and Sulfur are all obtained more easily from other minerals and sources, the Aluminum (or Aluminium) is probably the only reason why you’d want to mine this mineral, or perhaps to refine it as a byproduct while in search of the other more valuable minerals located nearby. Regardless, this is still one pretty cool little rock!