Inderite Click here to view Best Minerals I and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles. Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities? Inderite Mg(H4B3O7)(OH) · 5H2O monoclinic 1.Terminated Inderite crystal ~10cm tall© Inderite is a fairly rare magnesium borate mineral know from less than ten localities. The type locality was at Inder in Kazhstan but I never saw a good specimen from there. From Boron, California the crystals are are at least an order of magnitude larger than those of other localities. They are known up to about 30 cm in length. Good micro crystals come from Italy but I hope that someone will come forward and tell us about the Inderite from some of the other localities. The crystals from Boron tend to be long and prismatic as are those from Italy, but vastly smaller. Inderite was first described by Russians, but not all the mineral data they provided was correct and this initially caused those who analysied the Inderite from Boron to think that they had a new mineral which they called lesserite. Later when some of the type material became available to study, it became evident that lesserite was the same as the mineral the Russians had previously named Inderite. Inderite Italy Piedmont, Torino Province, Canavese District, Léssolo, Cálea, Brosso Mine 2.Inderite, FOV 6mm© O. Dziallas 3.Inderite, FOV 5mm© jo-esche 2006 4.Inderite, FOV 10mm© luigi chiappino 5.Inderite, FOV 2mm© C.Boutry I have seen a few find Inderite micromounts from this locality, but know little about them. I hope that someone will come forward and tell us about the locality and its Inderites. Inderite USA California, Kern Co., Kramer District, Boron, U.S. Borax Open Pit Mine, 6.Inderite & Ulexite, ~14cm wide© 7.Inderite & Ulexite ~8cm tall© Joseph A. Freilich 8.Inderite xl 7.7cm tall© Rob Lavinsky The Inderite crystals from boron were found during the early days of the open pit where a fault zone in the western part of the deposit was uncovered. It was in this place that large crystals of Kurnakovite were also found. The Inderite crystals were always prismatic and some crystals up to 30 cm long and square in cross section were found growing in the distinctive blue/green/tan mud of the deposit. These really big crystals were found in the mud and cracked into sections. Terminated crystals were rare and specimen #1 pictured above may be the largest and best single crystal of Inderite know. Some free standing crystals of Inderite are known, and there were a few specimens of Inderite crystals on matrix found, but I don't think I have ever seen a terminated of Inderite on matrix. Some matrix specimens covered with Inderite crystals of more than a foot in diameter do exist and they are all associate with intergrown felt like knobs of Ulexite like those in pictures 6 & 7. A very few specimens were found where Inderite crystals were found growing with Kurnakovite crystals. I have seen perhaps four or five of them. When these crystals are brought from the relatively clean dry desert air at Boron, California down into the Los Angeles basin where the work smog originated, these crystals develop little whit spots and eventually become coated with a white film. Those that remain in the relatively clean dry air of the desert and kept in a cool place seem to be immune to this alteration. This alteration is often glibly said to be the result of dehydration, but I do not believe this to be the case. I believe this film is a chemical reaction between the mineral and pollutants in the air.The white film and spots can be removed by briefly washing the crystals in water. Inderite is quite heat sensitive. So if you clean them, do so with water and specimen at room temperature to avoid cracking them. Click here to view Best Minerals I and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles. http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,75,143434,143434#msg-143434 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:26:41 +0000 Phorum 5.2.15a http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,75,143434,143448#msg-143448 Re: Inderite http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,75,143434,143448#msg-143448 Rock Currier Best Minerals I Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:26:49 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,75,143434,143434#msg-143434 Inderite http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,75,143434,143434#msg-143434 Best Minerals I and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?



Inderite
Mg(H4B3O7)(OH) · 5H2O monoclinic

1.Terminated Inderite crystal ~10cm tall©


Inderite is a fairly rare magnesium borate mineral know from less than ten localities. The type locality was at Inder in Kazhstan but I never saw a good specimen from there. From Boron, California the crystals are are at least an order of magnitude larger than those of other localities. They are known up to about 30 cm in length. Good micro crystals come from Italy but I hope that someone will come forward and tell us about the Inderite from some of the other localities. The crystals from Boron tend to be long and prismatic as are those from Italy, but vastly smaller. Inderite was first described by Russians, but not all the mineral data they provided was correct and this initially caused those who analysied the Inderite from Boron to think that they had a new mineral which they called lesserite. Later when some of the type material became available to study, it became evident that lesserite was the same as the mineral the Russians had previously named Inderite.


Inderite
Italy
Piedmont, Torino Province, Canavese District, Léssolo, Cálea, Brosso Mine

2.Inderite, FOV 6mm© O. Dziallas
3.Inderite, FOV 5mm© jo-esche 2006


4.Inderite, FOV 10mm© luigi chiappino
5.Inderite, FOV 2mm© C.Boutry


I have seen a few find Inderite micromounts from this locality, but know little about them. I hope that someone will come forward and tell us about the locality and its Inderites.


Inderite
USA
California, Kern Co., Kramer District, Boron, U.S. Borax Open Pit Mine,

6.Inderite & Ulexite, ~14cm wide©



7.Inderite & Ulexite ~8cm tall© Joseph A. Freilich
8.Inderite xl 7.7cm tall© Rob Lavinsky

The Inderite crystals from boron were found during the early days of the open pit where a fault zone in the western part of the deposit was uncovered. It was in this place that large crystals of Kurnakovite were also found. The Inderite crystals were always prismatic and some crystals up to 30 cm long and square in cross section were found growing in the distinctive blue/green/tan mud of the deposit. These really big crystals were found in the mud and cracked into sections. Terminated crystals were rare and specimen #1 pictured above may be the largest and best single crystal of Inderite know. Some free standing crystals of Inderite are known, and there were a few specimens of Inderite crystals on matrix found, but I don't think I have ever seen a terminated of Inderite on matrix. Some matrix specimens covered with Inderite crystals of more than a foot in diameter do exist and they are all associate with intergrown felt like knobs of Ulexite like those in pictures 6 & 7. A very few specimens were found where Inderite crystals were found growing with Kurnakovite crystals. I have seen perhaps four or five of them. When these crystals are brought from the relatively clean dry desert air at Boron, California down into the Los Angeles basin where the work smog originated, these crystals develop little whit spots and eventually become coated with a white film. Those that remain in the relatively clean dry air of the desert and kept in a cool place seem to be immune to this alteration. This alteration is often glibly said to be the result of dehydration, but I do not believe this to be the case. I believe this film is a chemical reaction between the mineral and pollutants in the air.The white film and spots can be removed by briefly washing the crystals in water. Inderite is quite heat sensitive. So if you clean them, do so with water and specimen at room temperature to avoid cracking them.



Click here to view Best Minerals I and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.]]> Rock Currier Best Minerals I Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:26:10 +0000