Deadly stones and minerals

We often wonder if the ground beneath our feet will be able to swallow us up. In fact, everything is more insidious than we thought. Throw away the rock you just picked up... You can get poisoned. This list features ten of the most toxic and potentially deadly minerals that crystallize in rocks and represent dangerously deceptive stone beauty. These stones can cause serious harm to your health even without someone throwing them at you. 10. Coloradoite (Coloradoite

Coloradoite is a newly discovered crystalline mineral, usually found in the veins of magma. This mineral is a mercury telluride compound formed when mercury alloys with tellurium, another extremely toxic and rare metal. Therefore, coloradoite poses a double toxic threat to those who dare to get their hands on it. The combination of these two elements creates a risk of serious poisoning if handled carelessly. When heated or chemically altered, this strange mineral releases deadly vapor and dust. What is most interesting is that this mineral is mined to obtain the tellurium contained in it. Tellurium minerals can also be found in combination with gold, but such combinations were not previously known. By a strange twist of fate, coloradoite deposits were mined in Australia during an unusual gold rush after people realized that tellurium stones containing gold were filling potholes in roads. 9. Chalcanthite

The seductive blue crystals of chalcanthite are made up of copper, combined with sulfur and other elements, as well as water. This compound converts copper, which is essential to the body but which becomes toxic in excessive amounts, into a very bio-available crystal. In other words, copper becomes soluble in water, and can be absorbed in large quantities by any plant or animal, quickly weakening it and then killing it because important internal organs stop working. Amateur scientists should never taste chalcanthite for salt content, because in this case they can experience extremely serious copper poisoning. Simply extracting a crystal of this blue mineral killed all the algae in the pond, and these crystals can also create big environmental problems. Because of the incredible beauty and rarity of chalcanthite, an enterprise has sprung up within the geological community to grow artificial crystals for sale, which are advertised as authentic specimens. 8. Gutchinsonite (Hutchinsonite

Thallium is the dark twin of lead. This dense, fatty metal is similar to lead in atomic mass, but is even more deadly. Thallium is a rare metal that appears in highly toxic compounds made up of rather strange combinations of elements. The effects of thallium exposure are even stranger, and include hair loss, serious illness on skin contact, and in many cases leading to death. Gutchinsonite is a dangerous but striking mixture of thallium, lead, and arsenic. Three poisonous metals form a deadly cocktail of minerals that must be handled with great care. Gutchinsonite was named after John Hutchinson, a famous mineralogist at the University of Cambridge. This mineral can be found in the mountainous regions of Europe, most commonly in ore deposits. 7. Galena

Galena is the main ore used for lead mining. It is shiny silver cubes of unnaturally perfect shape. Although lead is generally very flexible, the sulfur content of galena makes it extremely brittle and malleable for chemical processing. Galena can cause severe consequences for workers and amateur researchers who have worked with it without observing safety measures. Handling of samples may result in dust inhalation. Workers in mines are at high risk of poisoning from contact with minerals and deadly dusts generated during production. Once mined, lead from this mineral poses an environmental threat to human health during its processing and purification. Galena has a cubic fracture process, and if you hit it with a hammer, the crystal will shatter into several smaller copies of its original shape. 6. Asbestos (Asbestos)
Chrysotile and Amphibolite

Asbestos is not a man-made product, however, it is one of the most feared minerals on the planet. While other minerals act as toxins due to their chemical composition and accidentally poison victims, asbestos carries out mechanical sabotage in the human lungs at full speed. Asbestos belongs to the completely natural category of minerals and consists of silicon dioxide – the most abundant solid mineral on Earth – iron, sodium and oxygen. Asbestos deposits consist of clusters of thousands of tiny, filamentous crystals that can be transported through the air. They can also easily get into a person's lungs. Carcinogenic effects occur due to constant irritation of lung tissue, which leads to the formation of scars. Asbestos formations can be found among any set of silica rocks, so during the study of such rocks, appropriate safety rules must be followed. Strange as it may seem, natural weathering leads to the spread of natural asbestos in the Earth's atmosphere. As a result, small amounts of asbestos fibres can be found in many people's lungs. 5. Arsenopyrite

Arsenopyrite is fool's gold, but with a slight difference. A person who confuses it with gold will not be just a fool. An equally stupid decision would be to pick up this mineral from the ground during a trip to the quarry, and then use the hands in which this mineral has been for cooking and consuming food. Arsenopyrite is an iron and arsenic sulfide, which is the same type of mineral as pyrite (fool's gold or iron sulfide), the difference being that it has heavy arsenic additions. When you try to heat or alter the mineral in any way, it begins to emit a strong garlic smell of arsenic, which comes from the deadly toxic, corrosive and carcinogenic fumes released by this mineral. Even the processing of this mineral causes a person to come into contact with unstable sulfur salts of arsenic. Interestingly, arsenopyrite can be determined by simply hitting it with a hammer. As soon as the sparks fly, you can smell a strong garlic smell for a short moment. 4. Torbernite

Torbernite is a mineral from hell. The prism-shaped green crystals form as secondary deposits in granitic rocks, and are composed of uranium. Formed by a complex reaction between phosphorus, copper, water, and uranium, the stunning clumps of crystals often seduced collectors with their appearance, so people took samples of these minerals for their shelves. If the decay of uranium in Chernobyl was not enough, then the deadly radon gas is capable of causing lung cancer by slowly coming out of these beautiful stones. This is exactly the crystal that should be left alone. Torbernite can also be found in granite, so your granite countertop can easily contain traces of torbernite. Bright green clusters of crystals are used by prospectors as indicators of uranium deposits. 3. Stibnite

Stibnite is an antimony sulfide, but it looks like silver. For this reason, the huge, shiny metal crystals of this unstable compound were once used to cast magnificent cookware. However, sword-shaped crystals brought death to all those who used them. Stibnite crystals interspersed with antimony killed quite a few people before it became known that the use of this mineral causes one of the most terrible food poisonings. Even if samples of stibnite are collected for a collection, they should be handled with great care to avoid poisoning. It is recommended to wash your hands after any contact with this mineral. Mines near Osaka in Japan produce the best stibnite crystals in the world, measuring up to 30 centimeters in length. Most samples of sibnite look like miniature spires. 2. Orpiment

The only thing worse than arsenic itself is a stone consisting of arsenic and sulfur. Lethal and chemically active auripigment crystals grow underground in the form of mineral formations, often near hydrothermal vents. The colors of the auripigment look quite seductive, but if you take its crystals in your hands, it can release a carcinogenic, neurotoxic arsenic powder. The Chinese used this mineral extensively, as well as cinnabar, but only with much more terrible consequences. Arrows were lowered into crushed samples of this stone, which were then used against enemies for the purpose of poisoning - a rather skillful way of throwing a stone. Auripigment is famous for emitting a strong smell of garlic due to its arsenic content. It can also crumble into a dangerous powder when exposed to light. This mineral was used as the main ingredient to make ochre paint, and likely poisoned many of the artists who used it. 1. Cinnabar

Cinnabar (mercury sulfide) is the most toxic processing mineral on Earth. The name of the crystal means "dragon's blood". It is from the ore of cinnabar that mercury is extracted. Bright red crystals formed near volcanoes and sulfur deposits signal the most terrible danger. Cinnabar is able to release pure mercury when processed or heated, resulting in convulsions, loss of sensation, and death. In the Middle Ages and in the late 1700s, being sent to work in Spanish mines containing cinnabar formations was considered almost a death sentence. Cinnabar was widely used in Chinese history to make decorative dishes for food, and pieces of it were also used to create carvings of bizarre shapes, sometimes at the expense of the lives of artisans. Even more incredible is the fact that some of the ancient doctors believed that cinnabar contained healing properties, and prescribed it to treat certain diseases.

Source: www.bugaga.ru/interesting/1146737738-10-samyh-smertelno-opasnyh-kamney-i-mineralov.html