Catalog Search Guide
You can search our catalog using different mineral attributes. For example, you can search by color such as green, yellow or purple, or by chemical elements such as uranium, calcium or iron, or by mineral groups such as phosphate, silicate or carbonate. You can also filter by crystal habit like crystal, geode or crystal on matrix, by specimen size such as thumbnail, small, medium or cabinet, and by features such as radioactive or fluorescent minerals.
Vanuralite
Vanuralite is a rare, radioactive hydrated aluminum uranyl vanadate, part of the carnotite group of uranyl sorovanadates. It typically forms translucent, citron-yellow to canary-yellow platy crystals arranged in compact rosettes, with perfect {001} cleavage and a soft, micaceous feel (Mohs hardness around 2). Its striking color and radioactivity make it a favorite among collectors of secondary uranium-vanadium minerals.
The species was first described in 1963 from the Mounana Mine in Haut-Ogooué Province, Gabon — still its defining type locality — where it occurs in the oxidized zone of a uranium-vanadium-lead deposit alongside francevillite and curienite. The only other confirmed occurrence is the nearby Oklo Mine, also in Gabon, famed for its natural nuclear fission reactors. This extreme geographic rarity — essentially confined to a single mining district — makes genuine specimens highly sought after.
Because vanuralite readily dehydrates to metavanuralite unless sealed, well-preserved specimens are especially prized and are usually kept in protective glass or airtight capsules. For collectors of uranium and vanadium species, radioactive minerals, or rare Gabonese locality material, a documented vanuralite specimen from Mounana or Oklo represents a true rarity for any systematic mineral collection.
