Mineral of the Month 2024

For the month of April 2024, we have chosen a rather rare mineral: Danburite. This mineral was named after the town of Danbury in Connecticut. Danburite belongs to the group of framework silicates and – which is not very common – incorporates the element boron.

Like most boron-containing minerals, danburite occurs in pegmatites. These rocks are formed from the residual melts that remain after the crystallization of granite. This residual melt contains an above-average amount of boron, which is then incorporated into minerals such as danburite.

In March 2024, magnesite holds the title of Mineral of the Month. Magnesite belongs to the group of carbonates and is predominantly formed hydrothermally. This means that magnesite precipitates from hot fluids. Due to the high temperature resistance of magnesite (up to around 3000°C), it is an important raw material for the production of refractory bricks, which are used to furnaces. China is the largest producer of magnesite with 20 million tons (2020). A special shape of magnesite is the so-called pinolite. A mixture of magnesite, dolomite and graphite. The white magnesite grains are reminiscent of pine nuts, hence the name pinolite. This is particularly well known from the Hohe Tauern in Austria.

This mineral with its beautiful pink color is the mineral of the month for February. Rhodochrosite is also known in German as “raspberry spar” or “manganese spar”.

The mineral of the month for January 2024 is rutile. This mineral is often found in metamorphic rocks, igneous rocks and heavy mineral sands. Rutile crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system and usually develops short to long prismatic crystals.