How do I identify Malhmoodite?

Malhmoodite can be identified by its hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale, Creamy-white color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Malhmoodite?

Malhmoodite typically appears in Creamy-white. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

How hard is Malhmoodite?

Malhmoodite has a hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale. This makes it a soft mineral that can be scratched easily.

Malhmoodite

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What is Malhmoodite?

Malhmoodite is a phosphate mineral first discovered at a mine called Union Carbide in Wilson Springs, Arkansas, United States. This mine is 10 km west of Magnet Cove, an alkaline igneous complex, and Union Carbide is in a contact region of alkalic igneous rocks and surrounding sedimentary rocks. The mineral has been approved by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, IMA, to be named for the late Bertha K. Malhmood, the Administrative Assistant of the Branch of Analytical Laboratories, U.S. Geological Survey.

Malhmoodite Market Value Calculator

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Malhmoodite Localities Map

See where Malhmoodite is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.

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North ZoneCentral RidgeSouth Basin

Key Characteristics

Characteristics of Malhmoodite

Malhmoodite is a creamy-white mineral with a silky luster. It exhibits a 3 on the Mohs hardness scale. The spherules of Malhmoodite are made up of thin, flat, radiating, optically homogeneous crystals and seem to form in a parallel extinction and positive elongation. The cores of the spherules appear to be loose material, making up about one-third to one-half of the radius of the spherule. However, the core seems to show higher amounts of Si than the rest of the spherule by using X-ray spectra. The fibers of the mineral are soft and the density could not be directly measured. It was instead calculated using the unit-cell content of four formula units and determined to be 2.877 g/cm. In the crystal structure work of Malhmoodite, it was found that there was a common [Zr(PO4)2] layer. It is considered a pseudohexagonal with orthorhombic dimensions.

Formation of Malhmoodite

Malhmoodite occurs perched on kolbeckite plates and seems to be the last deposited in the cavities it occurs. The mineral is very rare, with the only common place to find it in Wilson Springs. However, a few other specimens have been found in Belgium and England.