W is for Wakabayashilite

Wakabayashile

Let’s face it; this is just a fun word to say.

Wakabayashilite is a rare mineral first discovered in Nevada sometime before 1930 but it was mistaken for orpiment. In the 1970s, Wakabayashilite was found in Japan and scientifically identified as a new mineral.  It was named after Yaichiro Wakabayashi (1874–1943), a Japanese mineralogist of the Mitsubishi Mining Company in Japan.  It mostly occurs with other arsenic minerals in high-arsenic gold deposits.