Volkovskite

Complete crystal group of the rare mineral Volkovskite from the Boulby Mine in England. This is one of only two known terminated crystal groups collected from a single find made deep in a section of the mine that extends out under the Altlantic ocean. The Volkovskite was found during normal mining operations for potash when the mine machinery stalled when it encountered a mass of the much harder Volkovskite. Because Volkovskite damages mine machinery, the area where it was found is now avoided and it is unclear if anymore will be recovered. This recent find of Volkovskite has set the world standard for the species and this specimen is one of the best. The specimen has crystallized surfaces all around - most were just cleavages (the cleavage structure can be seen on the bottom of this specimen, last photo).