Template:POTD/2024-07-28
Bultfonteinite is a pink, light-brown or colorless mineral with the chemical formula Ca2SiO2(OH,F)4. It was first discovered in 1903 or 1904 in the Bultfontein mine in Kimberley, South Africa, with other finds in the same country in the following years. It has since been found across the world including in Australia, Botswana, Japan, Russia and the United States. The mineral occurs as radiating prismatic acicular crystals and radial spherules up to 2 centimetres (0.79 inches). This specimen of bultfonteinite, measuring 5.0 cm × 3.0 cm × 3.0 cm (2.0 in × 1.2 in × 1.2 in), was extracted from Shijiangshan Mine near Chifeng in Inner Mongolia, China.Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus