Specimen M 34144 Erythrite

Summary

Erythrite is a distinctively purpleish-pink mineral. It gets its name from the Greek "erythros" meaning red because of its colour. It is a secondary mineral which forms from the alteration of other cobalt-bearing minerals. Erythrite is not an economically important mineral but is used as an indicator of the presence of other cobalt-bearing minerals.

Erythrite was originally described in 1832 from Saxony (now Germany) but is known from around the world. This specimen was collected in Queensland from the Mount Cobalt mine, a locality known for producing spectacular erythrite specimens.