Lazulite, also known as Azure spar, is a blue mineral that ranges from transparent to semi-opaque. It is composed of magnesium, iron, and aluminum phosphates, with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe2+)Al2(PO4)2(OH)2. Lazulite is part of a solid solution series that includes the darker, iron-rich mineral scorzalite.
This mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic system, exhibiting crystal forms that are typically steep bipyramidal or wedge-shaped. Lazulite has a Mohs hardness rating between 5.5 and 6.0, along with a specific gravity of 3.0 to 3.1. It is characterized by its infusibility and insolubility.
Gormanite is an extremely rare phosphate mineral characterized by the chemical formula (Fe,Mg)3Al4(PO4)4(OH)6·2H2O. The mineral is named in honor of Donald Herbert Gorman, a professor at the University of Toronto from 1922 to 2020.
It was first identified in 1981, with notable occurrences found in Rapid Creek and Big Fish River within the Dawson Mining District of Yukon Territory, Canada. At these type localities, Gormanite appears as veins within iron phosphate nodules. Additionally, in Bisbee, Arizona, it is found as sizable crystals situated in fractures of a tonalite intrusive.
