QUETZALCOATLITE Traditional Cache
Hidden : 11/17/2013
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Quetzalcoatlite is a very rare and an unusual mineral from Mexico. The bright blue translucent mineral is named for the Aztec God: Quetzalcoatl (which means "Feathered Serpent"). Another Mexican mineral named for a God is tlalocite which is named for the Aztec Rain God: Tlaloc. Some other minerals named for gods include aegirine, after Aegir (the Scandinavian god of the sea) and neptunite, after Neptune (the Roman god of the sea). There are no hard and fast rules for naming minerals, except that the first name is the official name (generally). Minerals are named after their areas of discovery (or type locality, see franklinite); their discover or a scientist of noteworthy proportions (see smithsonite or weloganite); their typical crystal forms (see tetrahedrite) and minerals have even been named for their chemistries (see cavansite). But few minerals have been named after gods.
Quetzalcoatlite is one of several different, but all rare tellurium minerals that come from the Moctezuma area of Sonora, Mexico. There are three formerly prolific mines from this area that have provided science with many new tellurium minerals. They are the Bambollita Mine, the Moctezuma Mine and the San Miguel Mine. The Bambollita Mine has also been known as the La Oriental Mine and is the type locality for Quetzalcoatlite. The Moctezuma Mine has also been known as the La Bambolla Mine; which is often confused with the Bambollita Mine, as one might imagine. Below is an incomplete list of tellurium minerals from the Moctezuma area.

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