Vanadinite: Our Source for Stronger Steel Alloys

Vanadinite is a fiery cousin of the mineral Apatite and one of our favorites here at GSB headquarters. 

Vanadinite is a key source of the elemental metal Vanadium (#23 on the periodic table) and is most commonly used to make extra strong Vanadium-Steel alloys. These alloys are used to make nuclear reactors and are some of the strongest alloys used today. This mineral is also a minor source of the heavy metal Lead (#82 on the periodic table) which is used in many industrial and medical applications, like the vests we wear when taking X-rays.

Vanadinite has such a sparkly presence but the crystal in this video is so much more than that, it’s an economically important ingredient for our modern world and future!

Vanadinite specimen from Morocco.