Mineral Cup Round 1: Perovskite vs Copper
An old favorite goes up against our first elemental mineral of the year!
https://www.mineralcup.org/2024/vote/r1m03
PEROVSKITE
This previous finalist is rare in pop culture but a heavyweight in geology (and not just because it makes up Earth's deepest mantle).
Name: After some guy.
Bling: Delightfully cubic!
Uses: Members of the perovskite family can make very efficient, flexible solar panels.
Team Lick? Some are toxic, and classic perovskite (calcium titanate) powder can cause skin and respiratory irritation. I'd hold off.
Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0
Kttimliu. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
COPPER
One of the only non-silver metals, copper boasts a long and storied history with humanity.
Name: After Cyprus, the Romans' principal source of copper.
Bling: From unique red-orange sheen to distinctive green oxidation, elemental copper shines aesthetically! And if you like the appearance of competitor turquoise, you have copper to thank.
Uses: We've been using copper for at least 10,000 years! Nowadays we use copper in electronics, buildings, and many useful alloys and salts.
Team Lick! Not only safe to lick with a delicious bloody taste, humans need copper as a trace mineral in our diet.
James St. John. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
R. Henrik Nilsson. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.