Grischunite

specimen number:
2354136

location:
Falotta, Tinizong, Surses, Albula, Grisons, Switzerland

description:
Several reddish-brown lustrous crystals of grischunite measuring to 0.2 cm in size on matrix. Nice example for the species. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Eric Laskowski.

The Falotta prospect near Tinizong in the Surses region of Grisons, Switzerland, represents a historic small-scale underground mining area renowned for its metamorphosed, radiolarite-hosted manganese and arsenic mineral deposits. Exploited primarily during the early to mid-twentieth century for manganese ores, the site consists of open cuts, galleries, and mine dumps set within Alpine metamorphic terrain. Regional metamorphism combined with arsenic-rich hydrothermal activity transformed the syn-sedimentary manganese layers, creating a rich variety of exotic arsenate species. Among these rare minerals is grischunite, a dark red-brown hydrated sodium calcium manganese iron arsenate mineral belonging to the wicksite group. Discovered at Falotta as its type locality, grischunite typically forms small, lath-like or anhedral crystals embedded within fracture fillings, drawing significant interest from specialized mineral collectors and systematic mineralogists searching the historic dump material.

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