Strontianite

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /stɹɒnˈtiːəˌnaɪt/

Definitions

1. A naturally occurring mineral primarily made of strontium carbonate that is typically located in sedimentary environments
2. This mineral is characterized by its significant strontium carbonate content and is usually found in particular rock settings
3. A mineral consisting mainly of strontium carbonate that typically forms in sedimentary deposits and is often associated with hydrothermal activity

Etymology: The mineral was named after a village, but the village was named after nothing to do with the mineral at all. Strontianite is named for Strontian, a small place in the Highlands of Scotland, where it was first found in the lead mines of the area. The "-ite" ending is the standard suffix chemists and mineralogists use for minerals, so the name simply means "mineral of Strontian." The name was coined in 1791 by the Scottish chemist Thomas Charles Hope. He was studying the sample from the Strontian mines and found that it contained a previously unknown earth, which he called strontites. That new element was later named strontium, and the mineral took its name from the same place. The mineral and the element are thus both linked to the same Highland village, a rare case where a single locality gave its name to a metal and its ore at once.