Minerals rarer than diamonds

Some minerals in the Earth's core have reserves less than a sugar cube and are very fragile.

Ichnusaite exists only on the island of Sardinia in Italy. Photo: Robert Downs/University of Arizona.

In a study published in January in the American Journal of Mineralogy, Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and Jesse Ausubel of Rockefeller University classified more than 2,500 of the rarest minerals on Earth. Each comes from several locations around the world, and some are less than the size of a sugar cube, according to The Huffington Post.

"If you want to give your fiancée a truly rare ring, don't go for a diamond. Get her a Sardinian ichnusaite," says Hazen.

Cobaltomenite is found in four locations on Earth. Photo: Robert Downs/University of Arizona.

Ichnusaite, a brittle, colorless, pearly mineral, was discovered on the Italian island of Sardinia in 2013. With only one specimen known, the mineral is truly rare, Hazen said.

Another pink-red mineral called cobaltomenite has been found in four places: Utah, Argentina, Bolivia and Congo. According to the Los Angeles Times, cobaltomenite is so rare that the amount of underground reserves only fits in a small cup.

Nevadaite is made up of rare elements like vanadium and copper. Photo: Robert Downs/University of Arizona.

"These 2,550 minerals are much rarer than the expensive diamonds and gemstones often used as symbols of love. Some tend to melt, evaporate or absorb water. A few gradually decompose when exposed to sunlight," the study authors said.

Of the more than 5,000 minerals known to exist on Earth, fewer than 100 make up 99% of the planet’s crust. The rarest ones are what make Earth special and “play a pivotal role in the diversity of the planet’s near-surface environment,” Hazen said.

Hazen and Ausubel classified minerals based on the unique characteristics of their formation, the rarity of their composition, their short lifespan, and the remote locations in which they were found.

Fingerite is another rare mineral that also contains vanadium and copper. Photo: Robert Downs/University of Arizona.

A perfect example of rarity, according to Hazen, is fingerite, which only exists near the summit of the Izalco volcano in El Salvador. “This mineral is composed of rare elements. Vanadium and copper must coexist and combine under very limited conditions. If you change the ratio of copper to vanadium by a small amount, you get a completely different mineral. And every time it rains, the fingerite is washed away,” Hazen emphasizes.

According to VnExpress