Made in Belgium...

Map of Belgium

Belgium is quite small (roughly 200 X 300 km), but has provided the scientific world with a remarkable number of eminent mineralogists.

This is in part due to the colonisation of the former "Belgian Congo" (now Republic of Congo, ex-Zaire), one of the richest mineralogical regions in the world. Less than 200 species have been found in Belgium so far, but 16 of them are recorded in history with a Belgian type locality.

Minerals with a Belgian type locality
MINERAL	LOCALITY	DISCOVERY	DESCRIPTION	REMARKS
ardennite	Salmchateau	1872	von Lasaulx, 1872	synonym : dewalquite
davreuxite	Ottré	1850	De Koninck, 1978	-
delvauxite	Berneau	1793	Delvaux, 1838	-
destinezite	Richelle	1879	Césaro, 1885
fraipontite	Moresnet	1883	Césaro, 1883	-
halloysite	Angleur	1826	Berthier, 1826	-
hopeite	Altenberg	1820	Brewster, 1822	-
koninckite	Richelle	1884	Césaro, 1884	see below
ottrelite	Ottré	1809	Damour, 1842	-
richellite	Richelle	1883	Césaro, 1842	-
viseite	Visé	1888	Mélon, 1842	-
willemite	Moresnet	1829	Levy, 1830	-
drugmanite	Richelle	1979	Van Tassel, 1979	-
vantasselite	Bihain	1987	Fransolet, 1987	-
ferristrunzite	Blaton	1987	Peacor, 1987	-
viaeneite	Engis	1996	Kucha et al., 1996	Unstable in air

Belgium is also famous for its large and beautiful calcite crystals from different localities : Mont-sur-Marchienne, Biesmerée, Beez, Landelies etc. At present Belgium is not a real eldorado for rockhounds : most localities are closed for collecting, or at least with substantial restrictions. It becomes more and more difficult to get high quality and/or rare minerals here. I have more information on ardennite, ferristrunzite and vantassselite on the next pages.

But remember : Belgium has a great mineral collector's club, the "Mineralogische Kring Antwerpen v.z.w.", with a great and very dynamic home-page.

LEFT : calcite crystals (6 cm tall) from the Solvay Quarry in Couillet, Belgium (this quarry is closed down). Photo and collection A. Quadens.
RIGHT : crandallite aggregates from Blaton, Belgium. Photo and collection H. Dillen.

Koninckite from Richelle, near Visé, Belgium (type locality) Koninckite, FePO₄.3 H₂O, has been discovered recently in Carinthia, Austria. The quality of this material is far superior to the Belgian aggregates. In Austria nice snow-white spherules up to nearly 1 mm occur. More detailed information can be found in the literature : M. Puttner (1997), "Das seltene Phosphat-mineral Koninckit in einer Mineralisation vom Geo-Trail bei Oberbuchach, Karnische Alpen (Kärnten)", Der Aufschluss 48 317-320.

This is a high resolution SEM-picture of destinezite from Richelle, near Visé, Liège Province, Belgium. The nodules found in Belgium are dull, beige colored, looking rather amorphous and pulverulent. But at very high magnification (in this picture 23800 X) well formed six-sided plates can be observed. Those platelets are about 1.5 X 3 µm "tall" 0.0015 X 0.003 mm). Note that this mineral is not hexagonal, but triclinic !

*Main page*	*Belgium*	*Ardennite*	*Ferristrunzite*
*Vantasselite*	*Korean stamp*	*Exchanges*	*Links*

The background on this page is made of radiating aggregates of vantasselite-crystals