Description
The mineral brazilianite is a phosphate that is typically yellow to green. This monoclinic mineral has an average density of 2.98, a hardness of 5.5, and a white streak. The mineral's name derives from the area where it was first discovered (Brazil). It is most often found in phosphate-rich pegmatites. In pegmatites, it occurs in the form of perfect crystals. The only known locality of brazilianite is near Conselheiro Pena, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. In recent years, this locality has yielded minerals of high quality, with perfectly formed crystals of unusual size. Some of these minerals have been found on muscovite (with a strong silvery sheen), intergrown within the host rock. Such specimens are not ground into raw material but find their way into museums and private collections. The most exquisite crystals, dark greenish-yellow to olive green, are sometimes up to 12 cm long and 8 cm wide. Crystals of a similar shape and size have been discovered at another site in Minas Gerais, near Mantena, but these are not perfectly formed. The mineral is very popular with collectors.
