Psilomelane BIRUG 887

Specimen of psilomelane (BIRUG 887), a group name given to barium manganese oxides. Psilomelane typically shows a botryoidal (grape-like) habit, as seen in this specimen, and can also be reniform (kidney-shaped) or can appear as amorphous films or masses. The name comes from the Greek “psīlos” (smooth) and “melās” (black). This specimen was gifted to the Museum in 1915 by W. McLean and forms part of the Museum’s McLean collection. Scanning was performed using an Artec Spider 3D scanner by Courtney Szanto.