Psilomelane (rare locality specimen) (ex Al Kidwell Collection)

Item Description

A rarely seen specimen of Psilomelane from the Clarashall Mine, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. I've only seen a select few of these over the years, and this one is a very good example. The piece hosts a coverage of attractive dark grey-black botryoidal groups of Psilomelane on a thin layer of matrix. It should be noted that Psilomelane is not a valid species, but a somewhat archaic term used to describe various manganese oxide minerals (see https://www.mindat.org/min-26664.html for the full list). The piece is in excellent condition, and would make a great addition to any suite of German minerals. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974.