These specimens are Microcline, a tectosilicate mineral. Microcline is used in the production of porcelain, ceramic and glass. These specimens are salmon-pink in color. The specimen in Q?rius measures 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm x 3 cm. Another specimen measures 4.5 cm x 4.5 cm. A third specimen measures 6 cm x 3 cm x 2 cm.
- Catalog Number:
- 41466
- Object/Specimen Description:
- Specimen Count:
- 3
- Precise Locality:
Rode Ranch Pegmatite
- Locality:
- US South Central (TX, LA, OK, AR)
- Collecting Locality:
- North America, United States, Texas, Llano County
- Special Instructions:
- Ask a staff person for assistance
One of the most striking, yet least diagnostic, features of many minerals is their color. Well-formed mineral crystals span the entire rainbow of tinctures, from red (cinnabar, garnet) to yellow (sulfur), green (malachite), blue (azurite, lazurite), and violet (the amethyst variety of quartz). Minerals containing iron and magnesium are often dark brown or dark green. Impurities, trace amounts of elements that do not normally belong in the mineral, may change the overall color of a crystal. For instance, depending on the trace amounts of impurities it contains, quartz may look colorless (no impurities), light pink (titanium, iron, or manganese), milky white (tiny bubbles of gas or liquid), purple (iron), yellow (iron), or brown (extra silicon). However, multiple minerals may have almost the same color, so scientists must rely on other physical properties to make definite identifications of mineral specimens.