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> Minerals
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Gypsum Roses, Sand Roses or Desert Roses
Rose-like formation of crystal agregates of gypsum which include abudant sand grains. Through evaporation of shallow salt basin´s in the arid sandy areas gypsum roses crystalize in form of rosette clusters. The correct mineralogical nomenclature is Gypsum for this kind of mineral, but of course the term Sand or Desert Rose ist just colloquial name.
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| Synonyms: |
Selenite, Gypsum rose, Sand rose, Desert rose |
| Classification: |
Sulfates |
| Chemical formula: |
CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| Crystal system: |
Monoclinic |
| Density (g/cm3): |
2,312 - 2,322 measured, 2,308 calculated |
| Tenacity: |
Flexible |
| Cleavage: |
Perfect and easy on {010} |
| Fracture: |
Splintery, Conchoidal |
| Hardness (Mohs): |
1,5 - 2 |
| Colour: |
White, grey, yellow-brown, brown |
| Lustre: |
Sub-vitreous, earthy, dull |
| Streak: |
White |
| Application: |
Construction industry, plaster, plasterboard |
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Sonora desert, Mexico
