Magnesioastrophyllite - SKU_A_1406

From: Khibiny Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia.

Hardness: 3 on the Mohs scale.

Magnesioastrophyllite is a very rare, brown to golden-yellow hydrous potassium iron titanium silicate mineral. Heavy, soft and fragile, astrophyllite typically forms as bladed, radiating stellate aggregates. It is this crystal habit that gives magnesioastrophyllite its name, from the Greek words astron meaning "star" and phyllon meaning "leaf". Its great submetallic gleam and darkness contrast sharply with the light (felsic) matrix the mineral is regularly found within. Found in cavities and fissures in unusual felsic igneous rocks, magnesioastrophyllite is associated with feldspar, mica, titanite, zircon, nepheline, and aegirine. Common impurities include magnesium, aluminium, calcium, zirconium, niobium, and tantalum.