Arfvedsonite

/ɑrfˈvɛdsoʊnaɪt/ noun

Definition

A dark blue or black mineral, a type of sodic amphibole commonly found in igneous rocks and pegmatites.

Etymology

Named after Johan August Arfvedson, the Swedish chemist who discovered lithium in 1817. The mineral suffix '-ite' indicates a mineral form, and 'arfvedsonite' was named in his honor as recognition of his mineralogical contributions.

Kelly Says

This beautiful dark mineral is one of those special cases where a scientist gets a mineral named after them—it's found in some of the world's most distinctive rocks, and geologists spot its dark blue-black crystals like nature's way of saying 'this person changed chemistry forever.'

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