Boleite was 1st discovered in Boleo, Mexico in 1891, in a location with the Baja peninsula that is becoming recognized for rare minerals. Boleite is such an unconventional and sophisticated mineral the definition of its chemical composition and crystal structure have been through many revisions considering that its initial discovery.
The first specimens of boleite were being learned by Eduoard Cumenge, a French mining engineer. Yet another uncommon halide mineral within the very same area, with a similar composition and a slightly different chemical composition, was named cumengite in honor of Cumenge.
There are several capabilities of boleite that make it of particular fascination to collectors. For one thing, it's got an abnormal chemical composition, being a hydrated direct copper silver chloride hydroxide. It includes sizeable quantities of such metals, with about forty nine% lead, fourteen% copper and nine% silver. Secondly, it's got an interesting crystal composition, considering that boleite is always pseudocubically twinned. That is definitely, Each and every dice-like crystal of boleite is really made up of three rectangular box-like crystals oriented at ideal angles to each other. Boleite also has an exceedingly eye-catching indigo color and several very exceptional transparent crystals are Reduce as gemstones.
Boleite in MatrixBoleite in Matrix
Like other halide minerals, for instance fluorite, boleite is very tender, using a Mohs hardness ranking of only 3 to three.five. It has a vitreous to pearly luster. It can be an unusually dense mineral, with a specific gravity of five.05. Only some minerals, including hematite and cassiterite, have the next density. Boleite's refractive index can also be ΧÏυσά incredibly higher at two.03-two.05; larger than sapphire, sphene and demantoid garnet.
In combination with cumengite, there are a number of other minerals connected to boleite, including ΛευκόχÏυσα pseudoboleite, chloroxiphite, paralaurionite, matlockite, chlorargyrite, bideauxite, atacamite, mendipite and diaboleite.
Together with the ΛευκόχÏυσα deposit in Baja, Mexico, boleite has been found in Broken Hill in ΧÏυσά Δαχτυλίδια New South Wales, Australia; from the Mammoth Δαχτυλιδια ΜοντεÏνα District of Arizona in the United States; and while in the Mendip Hills of Somerset, England.
