So you think mere rocks can’t kill you? Think again! Here are 10 Earth’s deadliest minerals!
1. Orpiment
What could be worse than pure arsenic? Turns out it’s a combo of arsenic and sulfur. Guess, just guess what it does to you if you so much as hold it in your hands!
2. Coloradoite
This thing will poison you like it’s nobody’s business, thanks to having extremely toxic components like mercury and tellurium. Both of which are pretty rare, and when combined – deadly as hell.
3. Arsenopyrite
Whatever you do, do not pick this shiny piece of metal! If it heats up even by a few degrees, Arsenopyrite will start spewing lethally toxic and carcinogenic vapors.
4. Torbernite
If hell was real, this mineral would be straight from down there. This piece of rock is composed of uranium. No, really. When phosphorus, copper, water, and uranium, come together in certain conditions, Torbernite is born. And its vapors will give you lung cancer.
5. Chalcanthite
Looks gorgeous, doesn’t it? Well, it’s true what they say about beauty – it kills. This union of copper, sulfur, some other elements, and water have created an unholy toxic crystal, which when assimilated by plants or animals will shut down all body processes in a matter of hours.
6. Asbestos
You’ve heard of Asbestos in many movies and TV shows, I’m sure of it. It’s one of the most terrifying minerals in the world! So what will happen if this little crystal gets agitated? Its particles become airborne and get sucked into your lungs where it heavily irritates, even scars, your lung tissue, eventually starting a carcinogenic process.
7. Stibnite
Is this silver? – you may ask. NO! Are you crazy? People who didn’t know better thought it was actual silver and made stuff off of it, like eating utensils. And all of them died of food poisoning.
8. Hutchinsonite
Remember lead? Yeah, well, this mineral contains something even worse – thallium, and arsenic. This thick metal is a lot more deadly than its heavy brother. After being exposed to thallium you’ll start losing hair, get skin diseases on contact, and in many cases, you’d die.
9. Galena
Basically Galena is full of lead in a form of a cube, which looks super cool. But this little dude will definitely kill anyone who touches it. Severe lead poisoning is a really harsh way to go.
10. Cinnabar
It is the single most toxic mineral on Earth. Interesting fact: Cinnabar means “dragons blood”. If agitated this mineral releases pure mercury, causing tremors, loss of sensation, and soon after death.
