Gold's Distant Cousin - Pyrite
On a recent trip to the desert prospecting, I stumbled upon a glint in the sand. I was heading to an area when I caught a sharp flash in my left eye. Bending over for inspection, I found a small quartz pebble with what I first thought was gold. As you have probably done in the past after the initial excitement, I discovered it only to be pyrite. I still think it is a pretty material, so I usually save it all anyway. Iron sulfide has made many a man a fool! There is a tiny vein of it diagonally and three distinct spots. Anyway, from Wikipedia - Pyrite's metallic l uster and pale brass-yellow hue give it a superficial resemblance to gold, hence the well-known nickname of fool's gold . The color has also led to the nicknames brass , brazzle , and Brazil , primarily used to refer to pyrite found in coal.The mineral pyrite , or iron pyrite , also known as fool's gold , is an iron sulfide with the chem...