Mineralpedia Details for Kosnarite

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Kosnarite

Formula: KZr₂(PO₄)₃
Crystal System: Trigonal
Cleavage: Perfect, None, None
Luster: Vitreous (Glassy)
Color: colorless, gray blue, light green
Streak: white
Class: Trigonal - Hexagonal Scalenohedral
Hardness: 4.5
WebMineral: View Kosnarite
Mindat: View Kosnarite

Kosnarite from Jenipapo dist., Itinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil

LARGE crystals for this species, each measuring to a whopping 1-2mm with a light blue color. This is the best locality for this rare zirconium phosphate at least for the size category. There are only 9 zirconium phosphates in the world. Kosnarite occurs in only 3 localities worldwide.

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Kosnarite from Mount Mica quarry, Paris, Oxford Co., Maine, United States

Special Info: Type Locality

There are not too many zirconium phosphates on Earth. Maine has two of the localities, this one, Mount Mica, is the type locality. The specimen is small and in the photos you can easily see one of the cubes. It is trigonal and crystallizes as pseudocubes. The crystal at the arrow is about 0.5mm but there are about 8 or 9 of them in a cluster not too easily seen in the photos. It is etched out according to the stick on label on the plastic box.

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Kosnarite from Itinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Colorless to orange fine micro Kosnarite crystals to 2mm as singles and clusters covering cleavelandite Albite. This is a fabulous, worldclass specimen which belongs in a museum. The Kosnarite crystals are rhombic or pseudocubic and very distinct. This locality and find was made about 2002 and was regarded as the world's best Kosnarite find. Kosnarite is a rare zirconium phosphate found in only four localities worldwide.