Sodium Potassium Silicon Hexafluoride (post-mining product)

Item Description

Several years ago these interesting crystals showed up on the market, sold by IC Minerals. They were found near the dump site of a phosphate processing facility near the town of Bartow, Florida. Chemically they are alkali (sodium and potassium) silicon hexafluoride. They are post-mining byproducts from the production of phosphate fertilizers. According to the paperwork accompanying the piece the crystals, "formed as a result of dissolving carbonate-rich Apatite-CaF ore to make soluble phosphate for fertilizer. The ore also contains quartz sand and alkali clays. Gypsum is a byproduct of the this process and is discarded in mined out areas where it form barren hills known locally as "gypstacks". These new crystals grow in waste streams and ponds that form in the gypstacks. The crystals incorporate silicon from the quartz, fluorine from the apatite, and sodium and potassium from the clays." This specimen is a sharp, well-formed crystal with smooth faces and ranges from colorless and transparent to white and nearly opaque in areas. An interesting an certainly different specimen that is not 100% naturally grown, as it needs the help of humans to form, but it's also not an intended synthetic crystal either. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#14030). This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.