LABUNTSOVITE (ULTRA SCARCE) (miniature)

Labuntsovite (K,Na)3Ti2(SiO3)4(O,OH)2 nH2O is an exceptionally rare and scarce mineral group typically found in alkaline rocks that are low in silica, such as nepheline syenites and carbonatites. This group comprises three distinct species: labuntsovite-Fe, labuntsovite-Mg, and labuntsovite-Mn. The mineral is named after Russian mineralogists Aleksander Nikolaevich Labuntsov and Ekaterina Evtikhieva Kostyleva-Labuntsova, who conducted significant research in the Kola Peninsula region. Labuntsovite is characterized by its centimeter-sized prismatic to acicular crystals, which can reach lengths of up to 15 mm, and is often found in radiated aggregates or spherolites, displaying colors ranging from blackish red to yellow-brown.