A rare mineral consisting of aluminum phosphate that was named after its tendency to lose water and change appearance when exposed to air.
Named by combining 'evan-' (from Latin 'evanescere,' meaning 'to vanish') with '-site' (the suffix for minerals, from Greek 'sitos'). The mineral got this name because it appeared to vanish or change as moisture escaped from it.
Geologists named this mineral perfectly—evansite literally loses its identity when exposed to dry air, changing color and texture as water evaporates, so calling it the 'vanishing stone' was quite fitting!
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