Name/Title
AluminumEntry/Object ID
2004.1.175Description
Assemblage Zone: oxidation zone
Chemical Composition: Al
Crystal System: Cubic or Isometric S
Description: Common Name: Aluminum
Chemistry: Al, Element
Class: Elemental
Location: Ontario, Canada
Description: Appears to be a round aluminum plug, with one end melted out as with blowtorch. Specimen seems to be painted in black all over.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Aluminium is a soft, durable, lightweight, ductile and malleable metal with appearance ranging from silvery to dull gray, depending on the surface roughness. Aluminium is nonmagnetic and does not easily ignite. A fresh film of aluminium film serves as a good reflector (approximately 92%) of visible light and an excellent reflector (as much as 98%) of medium and far infrared radiation. The yield strength of pure aluminium is 7–11 MPa, while aluminium alloys have yield strengths ranging from 200 MPa to 600 MPa. Aluminium has about one-third the density and stiffness of steel. It is easily machined, cast, drawn and extruded.
Corrosion resistance can be excellent due to a thin surface layer of aluminium oxide that forms when the metal is exposed to air, effectively preventing further oxidation. The strongest aluminium alloys are less corrosion resistant due to galvanic reactions with alloyed copper. This corrosion resistance is also often greatly reduced when many aqueous salts are present, particularly in the presence of dissimilar metals.
Aluminium atoms are arranged in a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. Aluminium has a stacking-fault energy of approximately 200 mJ/m2.
Aluminium is one of the few metals that retain full silvery reflectance in finely powdered form, making it an important component of silver-colored paints. Aluminium mirror finish has the highest reflectance of any metal in the 200–400 nm (UV) and the 3,000–10,000 nm (far IR) regions; in the 400–700 nm visible range it is slightly outperformed by tin and silver and in the 700–3000 (near IR) by silver, gold, and copper.
Fracture: Hackly
Grain Size: Very Fine
Hardness: 3 Calcite
Luster: Metallic
Occurrence: Native aluminium has been reported in cold seeps in the northeastern continental slope of the South China Sea. It also occurs in the minerals beryl, cryolite, garnet, spinel and turquoise. Impurities in Al2O3, such as chromium or iron yield the gemstones ruby and sapphire, respectively.
Although aluminium is an extremely common and widespread element, the common aluminium minerals are not economic sources of the metal. Almost all metallic aluminium is produced from the ore bauxite (AlOx(OH)3–2x). Bauxite occurs as a weathering product of low iron and silica bedrock in tropical climatic conditions. Large deposits of bauxite occur in Australia, Brazil, Guinea and Jamaica and the primary mining areas for the ore are in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Guinea, Indonesia, Jamaica, Russia and Surinam.
Rock Color: Light
Rock Type: Igneous
Specific Gravity: 2.5 - 2.8
Streak: White
Texture: Crystalline
Variety: In the Earth's crust, aluminium is the most abundant (8.3% by weight) metallic element and the third most abundant of all elements (after oxygen and silicon). Because of its strong affinity to oxygen, it is almost never found in the elemental state; instead it is found in oxides or silicates. Feldspars, the most common group of minerals in the Earth's crust, are aluminosilicates. Native aluminium metal can be found as a minor phase in low oxygen fugacity environments, such as the interiors of certain volcanoes. Aluminium has many known isotopes.Collection
Suomynona Mineral Collection, Suomynona CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2004.1Source or Donor
Suomynona Mineral CollectionAcquisition Method
DonationOther Names and Numbers
Other Number
Other Number: 2004.1Dimensions
Width
2-3/16 inDepth
1-1/2 inLength
2-1/2 inDimension Notes
Dimension taken at widest pointsLocation
Location
Display Case
FS-5Room
Frieda Smith HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
ExhibitMoved By
Ian C.Date
January 29, 2025Notes
Major mineral groups installationLocation
Shelf
CS-I-1Room
Curation StorageBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumDate
February 3, 2024
