Only a few grams of some minerals exist on the entire planet.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Orange is the new black, flats are the new pumps and minerals are the new diamonds. The world is constantly changing, the world of science is constantly making new discoveries so it was just a matter of time before minerals proved to be a girl’s best friends. So if you really want to impress your fiancée this Valentine’s you should really go for fingerite, nevadaite, ichnusaite or amicite rather than the boring, easy to find diamonds that have flooded the markets.
Minerals are the new diamonds since scientists managed to catalogue for the first time in history a couple of minerals that are the rarest in the world.
A grand total of 2550 rare minerals have been catalogued by scientists. And minerals are the new diamonds because each and every one of the 2550 is rarer than the shiny stones that women dream about.
Minerals like fingerite, nevadaite, ichnusaite or amicite can only be found in around five sites in the entire world. This makes them far more expensive than even the blood diamond.
What makes them even more exotic is the fact that the world supply of some of them weighs only a few grams. Minerals are the new diamonds when it comes to rarity and preciousness, but the diamonds can still keep their throne when it comes to durability.
Some of these gems may be rarer than diamonds, emeralds, and rubies put together, but they are also very fragile. Some are known to evaporate over time, others melt or even dehydrate and some perish when they are exposed to direct sunlight or high temperatures.
At the present moment, the scientists have determined that there are 5,090 different minerals on our planet, approximately 100 out of the total making up 99 percent of our planet’s crust. The other 2,550 are extremely rare and perishable. For example, ichnusaite was discovered a couple of years ago in Sardinia. That specimen is the only one that was ever found.
The nevadaite is similar to the blue Chrystal meth pictured in the TV show Breaking Bad. The rare blue mineral was only found in Kyrgyzstan in a copper mine and in Eureka County.
Most of these rare minerals form in extreme environments. Some, like hatrurite, contain very common elements like oxygen, calcium and silicon, but others need beryllium, tellurium and hafnium which are very rare elements on their own.
For example, fingerite needs extreme and restrictive conditions to form. The mineral is soluble in water so it disappears when it comes in contact with rain. The place of origin of this mineral is the Izalco Volcano found in El Salvador.
Minerals are the new diamonds, but men should remain old-fashioned and stick to the shiny durable rocks if they don’t want their engagement ring to melt in the rain.
Image source: www.wikimedia.org
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