Information about Strunzite

Strunzite is a rare phosphate mineral that forms as radiating, fibrous aggregates or acicular crystals. It is most often found in yellow to brownish-yellow colours, sometimes with orange tones.

Crystals are typically delicate and silky in lustre, giving fibrous sprays a shimmering appearance under light. It is translucent to transparent, with a white streak, and usually occurs as coatings or vein-like growths in cavities of phosphate-rich pegmatites.

Uses and History

Strunzite has no commercial or industrial use but is highly prized by mineral collectors due to its rarity, fine fibrous sprays, and attractive golden-yellow colours. It is also of scientific significance, particularly in understanding phosphate mineral assemblages in granite pegmatites and metamorphic phosphate deposits.

Strunzite was first described in 1957 from the Hagendorf pegmatite in Bavaria, Germany. It was named in honour of the German mineralogist Hugo Strunz (1910–2006), who developed the widely used Strunz mineral classification system.

Since its discovery, it has been identified at several phosphate-rich pegmatites and granitic environments worldwide.

Mineralogy

Hazards and Warnings

Mineral collectors should wash their hands after handling specimens, to avoid any exposure to potential toxins.
Almost all rocks, minerals (and, frankly, almost all other substances on earth) can produce toxic dust when cutting, which can cause serious respiratory conditions including silicosis. When cutting or polishing rocks, minerals, shells, etc, all work should be done wet to minimise the dust, and a suitable respirator or extraction system should be used.

Translations

Further Reading / External Links

• https://www.mindat.org/min-3810.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strunzite
• https://webmineral.com/data/Strunzite.shtml
• https://handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/strunzite.pdf