White pearly platy crystals of the rare phosphate mineral kobokoboite from the type locality in Kobokobo Pegmatite, Lusungu River District, Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kobokoboite
Kobokoboite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the phosphate class, with the chemical formula Al₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₆·11H₂O.
It crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2; specific gravity 2.21; White streak; Pearly luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Kbk, IMA status: approved, named in 2009.
A secondary mineral formed by weathering of the upper branch of a zoned albite- beryl-microcline pegmatite of the LCT family, rare-element class, Li subclass, beryl type, beryl– columbite/beryl–phosphate subtype.
It is found associated with Frondelite, keckite, planerite, variscite, wavellite (“coeruleolactite”), muscovite-2M2, evansite, apatite-(CaOH).
The name refers to the pegmatite body (Kobokobo) from which the first specimens were collected.