Kryptonite?

[1Shassan]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum - I am not a geologist and I don't notice rocks much...until...I dug up this beauty from my backyard this weekend. I joked with my wife that it was kryptonite but I'm genuinely curious now because I wasn't able to find a clear match online. My best guess is Atacamite, Flourite or Green Aventurine but that's based on obscure visual examples from the internet. We live in the Hudson Valley in NY. Thanks for feeding my curiosity!!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[djackson7348]

Sorry, but I am not the rock expert but I am sure someone on here can help with that. Welcome to the forum from North Carolina.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Yep. That's Kryptonite. Closely related to Jadarite.

Makes me go all weak just looking at it.

 

[1Shassan]

Thanks CD - do you really think it's jadarite or is that just the closest association to kryptonite? All the jadarite images I see look predominantly clear or white. Even more curious now....

 

[Red-Coat]

The ‘mindat’ entry for ‘kryptonite’ is just a bit of light heartedness from the compilers. Even scientists have a sense of humour.

When the Rio Tinto mining company found what they believed to be a new mineral in Serbia in 2006 they enlisted the help of Chris Stanley at the London Natural History Museum to confirm it. After Stanley obtained a chemical analysis he ran it through Google as “sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide” to check for similarities to already known minerals. One of the top hits was for ‘kryptonite’ where the (completely fictitious) very similar name “sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with fluorine” is stencilled on the side of a storage box for a kryptonite fragment stolen by Lex Luthor from the Metropolis Museum in the 2006 movie “Superman Returns”.

The real-life scientists tried to get the new mineral formally named as ‘kryptonite’ but the naming committee rejected this in favour of 'jadarite', after the Jadar Valley where it was found. It is, as you say, white in colour and to date the only reported location is in Serbia.

I think what you have is chrysocolla, which would not be an unlikely find in your area.

Note that green kryptonite is potentially harmful to humans as well as to former residents of Krypton. With sufficient long-term exposure it can result in cancer as Lex Luthor discovered, much to his dismay, from a ring with a green kryptonite jewel he wore to ward off Superman's presence. Chrysocolla, not so much.

 

[1Shassan]

fantastic!!


Thank your for indulging my curiosity and imagination. I'm at home with two young children and this is now how we're going to spend the rest of the day - talking rocks...and Superman!!

Thank you!

The ‘mindat’ entry for ‘kryptonite’ is just a bit of light heartedness from the compilers. Even scientists have a sense of humour.

When the Rio Tinto mining company found what they believed to be a new mineral in Serbia in 2006 they enlisted the help of Chris Stanley at the London Natural History Museum to confirm it. After Stanley obtained a chemical analysis he ran it through Google as “sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide” to check for similarities to already known minerals. One of the top hits was for ‘kryptonite’ where the (completely fictitious) very similar name “sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with fluorine” is stencilled on the side of a storage box for a kryptonite fragment stolen by Lex Luthor from the Metropolis Museum in the 2006 movie “Superman Returns”.

The real-life scientists tried to get the new mineral formally named as ‘kryptonite’ but the naming committee rejected this in favour of 'jadarite', after the Jadar Valley where it was found. It is, as you say, white in colour and to date the only reported location is in Serbia.

I think what you have is chrysocolla, which would not be an unlikely find in your area.

Note that green kryptonite is potentially harmful to humans as well as to former residents of Krypton. With sufficient long-term exposure it can result in cancer as Lex Luthor discovered, much to his dismay, from a ring with a green kryptonite jewel he wore to ward off Superman's presence. Chrysocolla, not so much.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Possibly chrysoprase.

 

[Red-Coat]

You're welcome. I'm not a believer in 'crystal energy' and all that folklore stuff but chrysocolla is said to be the stone of creativity, female energy and communication. As well as having gentle and soothing powers, with the ability to relieve ulcers and arthritis, it's associated with tranquility and peace, intuition, patience, and unconditional love.