RATOVKITE FROM CARBONIFEROUS OF MOSCOW BASIN: HISTORY OF DISCOVERY, COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE AND ASSOCIATED MINERALIZATION
Starting from 1808, Fischer made several trips into the Ratovka River valley near Vereya Town, where the local population mined limestone to produce lime. Studying riverside exposures of Carboniferous rocks, Fischer found thin interlayers of ne mineral formations of lightpurple color. Chemical analysis of samples revealed uorite, and since then, the loose and earthy varieties of this mineral have been referred to as ratovkite, according to the place where it was found. The article gives data on studying ratovkite by up-to-date methods, presented by Fersman Mineralogical Museum and Vernadsky State Geological Museum, as well as data on some new ndings of uorite in Carboniferous of Moscow Basin.