Phosphates & Oxides
Borate
What it is
Minerals containing boron and oxygen. Howlite and ulexite are both borates — howlite is the white stone often dyed to imitate turquoise, and ulexite is "TV rock" that transmits images through its fiber-optic crystal structure.
How it forms
Forms in evaporite deposits, particularly in arid lake beds where boron-rich water evaporates. The largest borate deposits are in Turkey and California's Death Valley region.
Boron oxide compounds (various)
