Description
WOLFRAMITE SPECIMEN
This is the raw wolframite specimen with topaz crystals and limonite. Dimensions: 1.2 x 0.9 x 0.7″ (3 x 2.4 x 1.8cm). Weight – 0.6oz (18 grams). Origin: Russia, Transbaikalia.
Some information about wolframite:
Wolframite, (Fe,Mn)WO4, is an iron manganese tungstate mineral that is the intermediate between ferberite (Fe2+ rich) and hübnerite (Mn2+ rich). Along with scheelite, the wolframite series are the most important tungsten ore minerals. Wolframite is found in quartz veins and pegmatites associated with granitic intrusives.
This mineral was historically found in Europe in Bohemia, Saxony, and Cornwall. The name “wolframite” is derived from German “wolf rahm”, the name given to tungsten by Johan Gottschalk Wallerius in 1747.
Wolframite is highly valued as the main source of the metal tungsten, a strong and quite dense material with a high melting temperature used for electric filaments and armor-piercing ammunition, as well as hard tungsten carbide machine tools. During World War II, wolframite mines were a strategic asset, due to its use in munitions and tools.
