Which of these minerals is the rarest in the world?
Painite is a very rare borate mineral. It was first found in Myanmar by British mineralogist and gem dealer Arthur C.D. Pain who misidentified it as ruby until it was discovered as a new gemstone in the 1950s. When it was confirmed as a new mineral species, the mineral was named after him.
The chemical makeup of painite contains calcium, zirconium, boron, aluminium and oxygen (CaZrAl9O15(BO3)). The mineral also contains trace amounts of chromium and vanadium, which are responsible for Painite's typically orange-red to brownish-red color, similar to topaz. The crystals are naturally hexagonal in shape, and, until late 2004, only two had been cut into faceted gemstones.
More Info:
en.wikipedia.org
What are your thoughts on this subject?
10 Comments
Francie Carlson
I immediately ruled out copper and lithium. I did eeny, meany, miney, moe with other two. Chose the correct answer.
Steve Tingle
No mention of elatorite, the only elastic mineral in the world, found in a small area of Derbyshire - it degenerates on contact with air so is getting less over the years, no use for it has been found!
Chris Braid
Incorrect answer! Even the explanation given does not bear out the supposedly correct answer.
Nicholas Miernicki
James Lovatt, It is a Carol Whites question, so we are lucky that it is in English.
John McLardie
No. This is simply wrong. Yet again another vague question relying on 'Wikiwrongia'.
Special Patrol Group
The explanation does not confirm that Painite is the rarest in the world of the minerals given.
Fred Keogh
I used the double answer, but on search checking there were 3/4 different answers given. None were painite!
wok
Painite is the 5th rarest in the world.
1. Tanzanite
2. Larimar
3. Alexandrite
4. Benitoite
5. Painite
Louise C.
James Lovatt, Well typed 😊
Fred Strassberger
Copper and/or lithium should be the answer as they are metals i.e. rarest minerals