Hey Nerds: It’s Time for the Annual Mineral Cup

Yesterday marked the first day of the bracket, which features a total of 32 minerals. The first matchup was between schorl and kaolinite. Schorl is a black, semi-hard mineral typically found in granites and high-temperature hydrothermal veins, and while it doesn’t have much of a commercial purpose, it is sought out by collectors. Kaolinite (which won with 52.6% of the vote) is a soft, waxy mineral—typically white or soft yellow—and rocks that are rich in kaolinite can be used in porcelain, paper, cosmetics, and toothpaste.

Last year, the winner was a rare mineral named quetzacoatlite, a spindly blue crystal named after the god in Aztec folklore. Never heard of it? That’s fine, since there are over 5,000 minerals officially recognized by the International Mineral Association, with a few new ones being discovered every year. Mineral Cup chooses 16 new minerals each year to compete along with 16 of the previous year’s top contenders, to generate af bracket of 32 minerals.

McKinnon is rooting for sylvite this year, which she describes as a “close cousin” of halite (which you might know more commonly as salt). Sylvite, which you can safely lick, has a sour metallic taste, due to it being composed of potassium chloride. Cinnabar is also in the running, which is a gorgeous red mineral that happens to be loaded with mercury—so don’t lick that one.

As the Mineral Cup has continued to grow from around 200 votes per match in 2017 to 2,000 votes per match in 2021, the tournament is an awesome reminder of just how fun geoscience can truly be.