Buddingtonite: Funny Name - Powerful Mineral

Buddingtonite is one of those minerals we all learn about in 200-level Mineralogy class and think, "What a weird mineral; I will never see this thing ever again,". Identification with a loop is near impossible; it just looks like every other white mineral pervasively altering rock. And then you spend four years in Nevada and realise, “This Buddingtonite is in more places than I thought…and it can be a nice little Au-vector at times – as well as an indicator of specific fluid T and pH for geothermal exploration purposes”. But – you still can’t identify it in the field. Then you spend four years working for Corescan and you realise that in fact, Buddingtonite has a beautiful, unique spectral signature that can be easily tracked downhole and in hand-sample – and – it’s an even better Ag-vector. So – funny name* – but a powerful little mineral after-all.

*Named after Dr. Arthur Buddington, a Princeton petrologist, army vet, advisor to both Harry Hess and Tuzo Wilson, long-time collaborator with the USGS and a significant mind behind the big US iron-ore assessments from the 1940’s. I believe Dr. Buddington would have loved to see what has become of ‘his’ mineral these days…