Lavra Corrego Frio

摘要

Brazilianite, NaAl3(PO4)2(OH)4, was described as a new mineral species by Frederick H. Pough (1906-2006) and Edward P. Henderson (1898-1992) in 1945. These authors named the new mineral in homage to Brazil. Pough, a well-known gemologist and curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, had been working in Brazil since 1942 on behalf of the American government. During the Second World War, the Manhattan Project for the development of the atomic bomb was under way, and the U.S. was looking for uranium deposits. As part of this search, Pough visited numerous pegmatite areas and became a recognized expert in their study. The story began as recounted by Peter Bancroft (1984):