Metamict Zircon

Metamict Zircon: a Zircon whose chemical composition contains radioactive elements (e.g. Thorium and Uranium) which, after the formation of the crystal, cause radioactive emissions apt to altering the crystal lattice, leaving the original external morphology unchanged. If the Metamict Zircon were found incorporated as an inclusion in another mineral (e.g. Corundum), the radioactivity emitted would break up the lattice of the host crystal, in the surrounding areas.

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