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Tunnellite Mineral Specimen

$35.99

TUNELLITE: Tunellite is a rare strontium borate mineral that crystallizes in the monoclinic system as acicular crystals and nodules.  It is found only in California and Turkey and is a minor ore of borates.

Size: 1.5″X 1.5″

Locality: Boron, Kerns County, California

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Tunnellite Mineral Specimen

TUNELLITE

HISTORY, NAME, LOCALITIES: Tunellite was discovered near Boron, California, and recognized as new mineral species in 1915.  It is named in honor of University of California geochemistry professor George Tunell.  Tunellite is a rare mineral with notable sources only in Turkey and the United States (California).

MINERALOGY, PROPERTIES, OCCURRENCE: Tunellite [basic hydrous strontium borate, SrB6O9(OH)2•3H2O], pronounced tuh-NELL-ite, is a rare borate mineral that crystallizes in the monoclinic system as aggregates of slender prisms and nodules with irregular surfaces.  It has a Mohs hardness of 2.5, perfect cleavage in one direction, and a specific gravity of 2.3-2.4.  When nearly pure, tunellite is colorless and transparent, but impurities can create pale-gray and pale-brownish hues and introduce a slight translucency.  Tunellite is a low-temperature, low-pressure mineral that occurs in the sedimentary layers that underlie playas in arid regions.  Tunellite is always associated with such other borate minerals as borax, probertite, and kernite.

METAPHYSICAL PROPERTIES, LORE, USES: According to metaphysical beliefs, tunellite aids concentration during meditation, teaches forgiveness, and helps to enhance one’s “in-service” skills to benefit others.  Tunellite is a minor ore of borates which are used to manufacture such products as heat-resistant glassware, fiberglass, fiber-optic cable, fiber-composite materials, detergents, motor oils, ceramic glazes, and coated papers.

COLLECTORS’ INFORMATION: Mineral collectors value tunellite specimens for their rarity and unusual nodules and arrangements of acicular crystals.

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