Preface
Welcome to Summer at DMS! We’ll be taking a break
from our regular series
until the Fall. Please do join us for a
Tellurium Picfest!
So, get ready for a rare glimpse with this month's favorite:
Tellurium!
Let's
go!
Introduction
Welcome to
another annual Mineral
Picfest summer article!
We’re going ‘native’ this Summer with our Mineral Pictfests!
In June, we honored
Gold. Now,
in July we are featuring Tellurium. August brings our short theme to a
close with
Copper. Enjoy!
Discovered in 1782 by
Muller von Reichenstein, this rare metal he named after the Latin
tellus,
meaning 'earth'. In its native form and in compounds, it can be
attractive, yet toxic to humans, if
you choose to work with them.
Tellurium is a metal
that rarely occurs native, so various natural compounds have
formed in
nature as minerals. Three major examples of telluride minerals
are: Calaverite
(a telluride of gold),
Sylvanite (a gold/silver telluride), and Tellurite (a tellurium
dioxide).
This element likes to be in the company of
other metals; so, let's enjoy photos of our metallic
friend.
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Yes, it's
our club's 50th or 'Golden' Anniversary! Though Gold is the
traditional metal ascribed to such observances, we shall honor
this tradition, as in
last month's MOTM article: Gold. I wonder what year-level
anniversary we could attribute to Tellurium? Why not
e-mail us with your
suggestions. Enjoy your summer. Oh, and for our visitors from
the southern hemisphere, have a great winter!
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Native Tellurium crystals on Quartz, Romania
(Photo by Lou Perloff) |
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Native Tellurium and Gold, Peru
(Photo by Lou Perloff) |
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Pure Tellurium ingots
(Photo by Transton Corporation) |
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Lab-grown Tellurium crystals
(Photo by Metallium, Inc.) |
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Native Tellurium
(Photo by HyperPhysics) |
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Native Tellurium, Mexico
(Photo by Thomas Witzke and Abraxas Verlag) |
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Native Tellurium and ore
(Photo by glogster.com)
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Tellurite on Quartz, Mexico
(Photo by Jess Weissman) |
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Tellurite, Mexico
(Photo by Rob Lavinsky) |
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Empressite
(Photo by David Barthelmy) |
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Native Tellurium
(Photo by Theodore W. Gray) |
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Denningite, Mexico
(Photo by Thomas Witzke and Abraxas Verlag) |
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Schmitterite, Mexico
(Photo by Steve Bringe) |
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Schmitterite, Mexico
(Photo by Steve Bringe) |
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Sylvanite
(Photo by Nevada Outback Gems) |
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Sylvanite and Fluorite, Colorado
(Photo by The Mineral Gallery) |
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Calaverite and Coloradoite, Australia
(Photo by Alan Guisewhite) |
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Calaverite on Fluorite, Colorado
(Photo by Kevin Ward) |
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Calaverite, California
(Photo by GAMECO) |
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Calaverite, Colorado
(Photo by Jasun McAvoy and Mandy Phillips) |
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Calaverite Needle crystals, Colorado
(Photo by Nevada Outback Gems) |
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Uses
Tellurium has so many uses. From an additive to metal alloys, such as
steel, aluminum, copper,
tin and lead. (Even the Tin Man in the 'Wizard of Oz' may have been part
Tellurium.)
Rubber's strength, quick curing, and longevity attributes these
benefits from the addition of this
native metal. Scientific glasses and optics, ceramics, and
high-tech devices (like solar panels) use
our favorite metal to improve their function, as well.
There is even Tellurium in the soil, and plants uptake it in
their lifecycles. Perhaps there is a
scientific 'Tellurium Cycle' to be discovered as part of nature.
Will you be the one to research it?
If so, please do tell us at
info@delminsociety.net.
Tellurium metal and compounds are toxic, so I wouldn't
suggest using it in jewelry or lapidary.
Though, some copper and steel products contain small amounts.
Links
http://www.webelements.com/tellurium/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tellurium
http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/te.htm
http://www.periodic.lanl.gov/elements/52.html
Members' Gallery
Here is where DMS Members can add their
Tellurium
photos to share with us.
Until Next Time
We hope you have enjoyed our all too short visit to
Tellurium. Please join us next month,
for another article, and we shall journey together!
Until then, stay safe, and happy collecting.
Article Contributors
I would like to gratefully acknowledge the generous contributions of
our fellow Tellurium
enthusiasts,
collectors, authors, curators, professionals, and club members who made this
work possible.
Thanks.
© 2010 All contributions
to this article are covered under the copyright protection of this article
and by separate and several copyright protection(s), and are to be used for the sole
purposes of
enjoying this scholarly article. They are used gratefully with express written
permission of the
authors, save for generally-accepted scholarly quotes, short in nature, deemed legal to
reference
with the appropriate citation and credit. Reproduction of this article must be
obtained by express
written permission of the author, Kenneth B. Casey, for his contributions, authoring,
photos, and
graphics. Use of all other credited materials requires permission of each
contributor separately.
Links and general contact information are included in the credits above, and throughout
this article.
The advice offered herein are only suggestions; it is the reader's charge to use the
information
contained herein responsibly. DMS is not responsible for misuse or accidents caused
from this
article. All opinions, theories, proofs, and views expressed within this article, and in
others on this
website, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Delaware Mineralogical Society.
Suggested Reading
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About
the Author:
Ken is current Webmaster and President of the Delaware
Mineralogical Society. He has a diploma in
Jewelry Repair, Fabrication & Stonesetting from the Bowman Technical School,
Lancaster, PA, and worked as jeweler.
He has
also studied geology at the University of Delaware.
And,
he is currently a member of the Delaware Mineralogical Society and the Franklin-Ogdensburg
Mineralogical Society.
E-mail:
kencasey98@yahoo.com.
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