Kapundaite

Kapundaite from Tom's Phosphate Quarry, Kapunda, South Australia, Australia, measuring 47 × 40 × 30 mm and weighing 35 grams. This is a particularly engaging locality-and-species pairing: Kapundaite takes its name from the nearby town. The specimen therefore connects the mineral's identity directly with the South Australian district represented on its locality label.

Kapundaite is a hydrated phosphate containing calcium, sodium and ferric iron. Its recognised occurrence is associated with phosphate rock affected by alteration and weathering. It offers a different mineralogical emphasis from the better-known copper and lead minerals in an Australian collection, drawing attention to the chemical variety that can develop within phosphate-bearing deposits.

An ochre-yellow covering follows the rough, cavity-pitted surface of the matrix. Small hollows and raised areas break up the colour and give the piece more to examine than a smooth coating would offer. With a phosphate specimen of this scale, a close view is particularly worthwhile: much of its character sits in the texture and distribution of the mineral-bearing surface. This example was collected by Vince Peisley and is recorded as coming from the Jon Mommers Collection. The named field collector adds a personal dimension to the locality connection. At under 50 mm in its longest dimension, it is a manageable piece for a phosphate collection, bringing together species interest, the source locality and a documented collecting link.