Asbolane (old, rare - classic locale)

Item Description

Asbolane is a poorly defined material, usually defined as cobalt or nickel-bearing "wad" (MINDAT). Wad is a generic name for (often poorly crystalline) soft manganese oxides/hydroxides, often containing significant amounts of hydroxides/oxides of other metals and adsorbed metals (Ni, Co, Cu, Fe, and other transition metals, alkali elements, etc.) (MINDAT). This is a lightweight, blocky, striated, layered chunk of charcoal-gray asbolane with sub-metallic luster and greasy sooty feel, like graphite. This is VERY RICH and RARE solid asbolane and this old-timer hails from the historic mines at Schneeberg. Read about Schneeberg in the current Mineralogical Record Special Issure on the locale. This piece is remarkable in its richness. Comes with a 20th century Dr. F. Krantz label.