THE MINERAL RHENIITE

Rheniite is a very rare and a very new mineral on the mineral market. It is so new that it is not yet listed in mineral indexes. It is found at the Kudriary Volcano, Iturup Island, Russia and is the only known rhenium mineral.

Rhenium has been found as a trace element in columbite, molybdenite, gadolinite and some platinum ores. Molybdenite, MoS2, is the only real ore of rhenium, a useful and expensive metal. The rhenium is only a trace element in the molybdenite but is found in enough concentration, up to 0.2%, and enough molybdenite is processed for molybdenium that over 100 tons of rhenium are known to exist in the world.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Color is a bright metallic silver white.
  • Luster is metallic.
  • Transparency crystals are opaque.
  • Crystal Habits include tiny thin, platy crystals and disseminated grains and masses.
  • Specific Gravity is 7.5 measured (above average for metallic minerals)
  • Streak is black.
  • Notable Occurrence: Kudriary Volcano, Iturup Island, Russia.
  • Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, locality and color.
RHENIITE specimens:
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RHENIITE specimen rhe-1
$ 100.00
Dims: 1-1/8" x 3/4" x 1/2"
Wt: 4.1 g
Kuridavy Volcano, Iturup Island, Russia
I've been told that this is the only strictly-rhenium-bearing mineral in existence! This Rhenite specimen is a metallic gray color and is rough on the outside, with the exception of some tiny, possibly crystalline areas (they're too small to properly determine under 15x magnification). However, given that this mineral has a high percentage of a rare element like rhenium, and given that it came from the vicinity of a volcano located on an island off of Russia, I think that this is worth it. Given that rhenium is a rather dense metal and this specimen is not very heavy for its size, the rheniite is probably in the form of a thin crust or dusting on a matrix. I am thinking that the bright, lustrous patches on the specimen are small semicrystalline patches of the mysterious sulfide mineral.
no photo
rhe-1 ($100.00)
Kuridavy Volcano, Iturup Island, Russia
RHENIITE specimen rhe-2
$ 45.00
Dims: 1.12x0.82x0.53" (2.84x2.08x1.35cm)
Wt: 0.15oz (4.2g)
Kudriary Volcano, Iturup Island, Russia
This is a specimen of the extremely rare mineral rheniite, a sulfide of the extremely rare element, Rhenium. The rheniite is easily visible as the extremely lustrous metallic balls on the porous host rock. The are as bright as fresh mercury droplets, and that is what they look like under a loupe. There is a fair amount of it here, as it nearly coats one end of the specimen. It sparkles brightly enough that all of it can readily be seen even without a loupe, so long as a bright light is available.
no photo
rhe-2 ($ 45.00)
Kudriary Volcano, Iturup Island, Russia
RHENIITE specimen rhe-3
$ 30.00
Dims: 1.68x1.27x0.68" (4.27x3.24x1.74cm)
Wt: 0.58oz (16.5g)
Kudriary Volcano, Iturup Island, Russia
Tiny balls of the rare mineral rheniite, a sulfide of the extremely rare element, Rhenium, are scattered throughout the host rhyolite. The rheniite appears to be lustrous metallic balls, too small to examine even with my loupe. It sparkles brightly, although it is only on one surface, but is especially concentrated along the side of a crevice.
no photo
rhe-3 ($ 30.00)
Kudriary Volcano, Iturup Island, Russia
 

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