Description

The Skutterudite series is a group of closely related arsenide minerals with varying rates of cobalt, nickel, and sometimes iron. The cobalt-rich end member is Skutterudite, and the nickel-rich end member is Nickelskutterudite. Another, lesser-known mineral of this series is Ferroskutterudite, a rare iron-rich member. Skutterudite is named after its type locality of Skutterud, Norway.

Quartz is the second most common mineral in the Earth’s continental crust. It is mainly composed of Silica or Silica based minerals. Although Quartz is known by a variety of names, the most important distinction between types of Quartz is that of macro-crystalline, individual crystals visible to the unaided eye, and micro-crystalline, where aggregates of crystals are only visible under high magnification. There are many forms of Quartz including Chalcedony, Amethyst, Citrine, and Carnelian which are results of mineral impurities or heat treatments.