Veatchite is an unusual strontium

Strontium

Strontium is a chemical element with the symbol Sr and the atomic number 38. An alkaline earth metal, strontium is a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that is highly reactive chemically. The metal turns yellow when exposed to air. It occurs naturally in the minerals celestine and...

 borate

Borate

Borates are chemical compounds which contain oxoanions of boron in oxidation state +3. The simplest borate ion, BO33−, has a trigonal planar structure. Other borates are made up of trigonal BO3 or tetrahedral BO4 structural units, sharing oxygen atoms...

, with the chemical formula Sr₂B₁₁O₁₆(OH)₅ · H₂O . There are two known polymorphs

Polymorphism (materials science)

Polymorphism in materials science is the ability of a solid material to exist in more than one form or crystal structure. Polymorphism can potentially be found in any crystalline material including polymers, minerals, and metals, and is related to allotropy, which refers to chemical elements...

, Veatchite-A and Veatchite-p.

Veatchite was discovered in 1938, at the Sterling Borax mine in Tick Canyon, Los Angeles County, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Veatchite is named to honor John Veatch

John Veatch

John Veatch, a surgeon, surveyor, and scientist, was known for his discovery of large deposits of borax in mineral water at Tuscan Springs, California, on January 8, 1856.-References:*...

, the first person to detect boron

Boron

Boron is the chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a metalloid. Because boron is not produced by stellar nucleosynthesis, it is a low-abundance element in both the solar system and the Earth's crust. However, boron is concentrated on Earth by the...

in the mineral waters of California.