Ekanite
Encyclopedia
Ekanite is an uncommon mineral
notable primarily as being among the very few gemstones that are naturally radioactive. Most ekanite is mined in Sri Lanka, although deposits also occur in Russia and North America. Clear and well-colored stones command the best prices, but such stones are rare; the mineral's radioactivity tends to degrade the crystal matrix over time in a process known as metamictization
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Ekanite was first described in 1955 by F. L. D. Ekanayake.
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
notable primarily as being among the very few gemstones that are naturally radioactive. Most ekanite is mined in Sri Lanka, although deposits also occur in Russia and North America. Clear and well-colored stones command the best prices, but such stones are rare; the mineral's radioactivity tends to degrade the crystal matrix over time in a process known as metamictization
Metamictization
Metamictization is a natural process resulting in the gradual and ultimately complete destruction of a mineral's crystal structure, leaving the mineral amorphous...
.
Ekanite was first described in 1955 by F. L. D. Ekanayake.