Issoferroplatinum

specimen number:
8911218

location:
Konder massif, Ayano-Maysky, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia

description:
A set of four metallic loose crystals of isoferroplatinum. All are in good condition. The total weight is 0.7 g. From the 1980s. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection. The size provided is in average.

Located in the Khabarovsk Krai region of Far Eastern Russia, the Konder massif is a world-renowned ultramafic intrusion famous for its remarkably perfect circular ring structure, spanning roughly eight kilometers in diameter. Formed during the Mesozoic Era when mantle magma intruded into surrounding Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, the complex features a core composed of dunite surrounded by pyroxenite and gabbro rings. Extensive weathering and erosion of these ultramafic rocks concentrated heavy platinum-group minerals into rich placer deposits along the Konder River and its tributaries. Commercial mining operations began in the late twentieth century, recovering immense quantities of sharp, well-formed cubic platinum crystals and metallic nuggets. Many of these historical specimens were initially classified as pure native platinum, but modern analytical testing revealed that the dominant mineral species is actually isoferroplatinum, a distinct natural alloy composed primarily of platinum and iron. Collectors and mineralogists prize the locality because it produces some of the finest, most sharply crystallized isoferroplatinum specimens known to science.

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