KERNITE
Specimen ker-1
$ 45.00Dims: 2.5 x 1.3 x 0.6" (6.4 x 3.4 x 1.5 cm)
Wt: 1.2 oz. (35 g)
U.S. Borax Mine, Kern County, California, U.S.A.
A section of a prismatic Kernite crystals makes up this hand specimen. Though a few areas show obvious cleavage, it does not have the compact, fibrous habit of most such specimens. Even so, its monoclinic prismatic form is warped, likely due to intergrowth. The piece is colorless, transparent and moderately clear, containing internal fractures and dark green-gray inclusions, and has a waxy luster on its uncleaved areas and a greasy-to-pearly luster on its cleaved ones. There is no host rock present.