Artinite

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A large, pretty specimen of fibrous, stark white artinite (Hydrated Magnesium Carbonate Hydroxide), from California. It forms as a crust of acicular to fibrous crystal aggregates sometimes collected into tight perfectly spherical balls (as here). People are usually surprised when told that it is a carbonate, because it has the appearance of several silicate minerals and forms in a somewhat atypical carbonate environment.