Bultfonteinite is a pink, light-brown or colorless
mineral with the chemical formula Ca
2SiO
2(OH,F)
4. It was first discovered in 1903 or 1904 in the
Bultfontein mine in Kimberley, South Africa, with other finds in the same country in the following years. It has since been found across the world including in Australia, Botswana, Japan, Russia and the United States. The mineral occurs as radiating prismatic acicular crystals and radial spherules up to 2 centimetres (0.79 inches). This specimen of bultfonteinite, measuring 5.0 cm × 3.0 cm × 3.0 cm (2.0 in × 1.2 in × 1.2 in), was extracted from Shijiangshan Mine near
Chifeng in
Inner Mongolia, China.
Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus