Wodginite in Albite

Item Description

Granular massive, flesh-white Albite is the matrix for finely crystalline gray, submetallic Wodginite scattered in this rare and unusual piece from Bernic Lake, Manitoba. Alvaro had some pegmatite samples from other parts of the world other than Brazil, but not many. Wodginite is an uncommon manganese-tin-tantalum oxide and can be an important ore of tantalum like it is at the Tanco Mine and this is a very good example. Abundant medium grained, subhedral Albite serves as the groundmass and all of the cleavage traces just scintillate. The Albite is spotted with 1 2.5 mm, gray-black subhedral "spots" of Wodginite giving the piece a "peppered" appearance. A very representative example from this well-known, and very large Canadian pegmatite that is primarily mined for cesium.