Every time I get a new rock, I want to learn as much as I can about it. That usually leads me down a rabbit hole of history, geography, or some other subject that I think I have no interest in... until I start doing the research.
Prehnite is my latest obsession. I acquired some specimens of this beautiful translucent green mineral, and learned the basic geological characteristics:
-Hardness: 6.5
-Color: Green, also sometimes yellow, white, pink, or blue
-Luster: Vitreous - pearly
-Streak: White
-Formula: Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2 a calcium aluminosilicate hydroxide mineral
I also read that it was was first "discovered" in 1788 by someone named A.G. Werner, who named the mineral after a Dutch military Colonel, Hendrik Von Prehn. I wanted to know these people.
Since I don't have a working time machine, I had to rely on written data that's been passed down by people who actually did know them, over 200 years ago.
It seems that this A.G. Werner is actually Abraham Gottlob Werner, the German "Father of Geology", who lived from September 25th, 1750 to June 30, 1817.
Werner was born into an iron mining family and worked with his dad for a few years, but in 1775 he became a teacher at the Freiburg School of Mining, where he worked for decades. He helped this school grow famous, and the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology still exists today as the "oldest mining school in the world".
He wrote journal entries, was an excellent speaker, and became an inspiration to many. Several of his students went on to be great European geologists.
One of his theories was Neptunism, the scientific idea that all rocks precipitated out of water when Earth was covered by oceans. We now understand that rocks form in many different ways, and precipitation is just one of those ways.
Werner was not a traveler, however. Perhaps he never even left Saxony.
...Which implies that someone would have had to bring this unidentified mineral specimen to Werner to examine.
Introducing Colonel Hendrik Von Prehn (1733 - 1785)! He was stationed at the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Province, South Africa, where he initially found the mineral. He was born in South Africa, but went to Holland for school. He joined the army there, and quickly moved up the ranks.
Prehn was also interested in science. He even introduced a zoologist from Captain James Cook's expedition to a naturalist he knew who was visiting from Sweden. He was a smart guy who spoke three languages. Unfortunately he passed away while on a trip in Germany.
Prehnite is believed to be the first mineral from South Africa that was named, and and the first mineral to be named after a person.
I can't help but wonder what it was like to travel then... before the modern conveniences of airplanes and internet maps.
If you could hide away in a barrel on a ship to listen to the conversations, would you do it?
Now that you know the the history surrounding this fabulous mineral, add a beautiful piece of Prehnite to your rock and mineral collection here:
Shop Prehnite Specimens and More
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