ATENCIOITE with USHKOVITE Beryllonite and MORAESITE

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This large thumbnail specimen from Linópolis, Divino das Laranjeiras, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil contains several exceptionally rare phosphate species including one for which this is the Type Locality - Atencioite. Best appreciated with a microscope, the Atencioite is very rich, making up a large proportion of the sample as beige-coloured slightly botryoidal growths with darker orange-brown interiors. Ushkovite though, is perhaps the highlight, as it forms as an exceptionally well-formed bright orange bladed spray of millimetre-scale triclinic crystals. Colourless Beryllonite and silky white acicular Moraesite are also reported on this specimen, but might well be on the other side of the specimen from the photograph. Nevertheless, this is a great example of these extremely rare phosphates, from this classic pegmatite.