What is mica in simple words?
Where to buy?
If you want buy mica, then it is best to use the services of mica factories, such as Siberian Minerals, where, in fact, you can find out its cost, delivery and payment methods. Since the mica factory works with trusted suppliers who are known for their reliability, it receives raw materials only from certified deposits.
A little history
Although no one knows the exact date when people first began to use mica, history nevertheless suggests that back in the 16th century it was used in boyar and merchant buildings. Mica, which at that time was called “Moscow glass,” was also used to cover windows in churches. A little later, in order to give mica structures a special design, craftsmen began to decorate them with various designs, flowers and birds. Doors for drawers in which clothes were stored were also made from such a unique material. It could not be done without it during the manufacture of jewelry boxes and when creating icons. Since this mineral had a very high cost at that time, it was available only to certain “layers” of society.
- History of mica mining in Russia
- Mica fishing in old Russia
- Mica industry after the revolution
- Current state of mica mining in Russia
- Traces of mica. Who found them on Mama
- Mica factories in Russia
- Mamsko-Chuiskoye field
- Main mica-bearing regions of Russia
- Application of mica
- Mineralogical characteristics
- Chemical composition and chemical properties
- What is mica
- Types of mica
- What is PSMA
- Mica plates
- Mica for microwave ovens
- Mica phlogopite
- Lepidolite
- Vermiculite
- Mica CO
- Brief information about mica
- Types and uses of mica
- What is muscovite
- Mica products
- Properties of mica
- Properties of muscovite
- SMOG mica plates
- Muscovite in the Irkutsk region
- SMOE
- SMOP
- SMOSH
- Muscovite
- Buy mica
- Mica plates
- Mica factory of the Siberian Minerals company
- Mica
- Mica mining
- Mica factory
- Mica microwave
- Mica plates
- Mica muscovite
- Buy mica
- Mica mining
- Mica muscovite
- SMOSH
- PSMA
- Mica mining
- Where to buy mica?
- SMOSH (cut muscovite mica for brush holders)
- Mica microwave
- SMGP (muscovite mica for generator devices)
- Capacitor mica
- Muscovite
- Mica SF (filter mica)
- GOST 13751-86
- Buy mica
- Where to buy mica?
- Mica SMOE
- Mica SMGP
- Mica SMOSCH
- Mica CO
- How is mica mined?
- What is muscovite?
- What is capacitor mica?
- What is SMOE?
- What is microwave mica?
- Where is the best place to buy mica?
- Mica SMOG
- Mica SMA
- Mica factory of the Siberian Minerals company
- Mica plates
- Where can I buy mica at a profit?
- Mica mining in the Irkutsk region
- Mica capacitor
- Protective mica
- Mica SMOP
- Where to buy mica in the Irkutsk region?
- Mica mining in the Irkutsk region
- Mica SMGP
- Mica VLF
- Mica cut
- Mica mining in the Irkutsk region
- Where to buy mica and mica products?
- Production of mica SMOE
- Mica production SMOSCH
- Microwave mica production
- Where can you buy mica?
- Production of mica SK (mica for valves)
- Mica production SMGP
- Where is it profitable to buy muscovite?
- Where is it profitable to buy cut mica?
- Where can you buy mica in bulk?
- Mica mining in the Irkutsk region
- Where can I buy capacitor mica?
- Where can I buy protective mica?
- Where can I buy SMOP mica?
- Muscovite and its scope
- Where is it profitable to buy SMOE mica?
- Where is it profitable to buy mica SMOSH?
- Where is it profitable to buy microwave mica?
- GOST 13751-86
- Sale of mica from the company “Siberian Minerals”
- Mica mining in the Irkutsk region
- Where can I buy mica SMGP?
- Where is the best place to buy mica parts?
- GOST 13752-86
- Where can I buy mica at a profit?
- Mica SSP
- Mica VLF
- Mica CO
- Mica CP
- Mica mining in the Irkutsk region
- Mica grade SMOP
- Where can I buy cut mica?
- Where are mica plates used?
- Where is it profitable to buy capacitor mica?
- Muscovite mining in the Irkutsk region
- Mica SMOE and its scope of application
- Mica SMOSCH and its scope of application
- Microwave mica and its scope of application
- Where to buy mica on favorable terms?
- Mica mining and sale
- Mica PSMA and scope of its application
- Mica SEP and its scope
- Mica SPM and its scope of application
- Mica SMA and its scope of application
- Where can you buy mica in bulk?
- Mica SZ and its scope of application
- VLF mica and its scope of application
- Mica CO and its scope of application
- Spacer mica and its scope of application
- How is mica mined?
- What is capacitor mica used for?
- Where can I buy cut mica wholesale?
- Where are mica plates used?
- Where is it profitable to buy SMOP mica?
- Where can you buy mica in bulk?
- Where is it profitable to buy SMOE mica?
- Where is it profitable to buy SMGP mica?
- Where is it profitable to buy microwave mica?
- What is muscovite and where is it used?
- Sales of mica from the manufacturer
- Where to buy mica SMOSH?
- Where to buy mica SMA?
- Where to buy SEP mica?
- Where to buy mica SPM?
- Properties and scope of application of spacer mica
- Properties and scope of application of mica SK
- Properties and scope of application of mica CO
- Properties and scope of application of VLF mica
- Properties and scope of application of mica SZ
- Mica mining in the Irkutsk region
- Where can I order mica products?
- Where can I order mica plates?
- What is cut mica used for?
- What is microwave mica used for?
- Where can I buy mica on favorable terms?
- What is muscovite and where is it used?
- Where can I order mica SMGP?
- Where can I order SMOE mica?
- What is SMOSH mica used for?
- What is SPM mica used for?
- What is VLF mica used for?
- What is mica CO used for?
- What is SZ mica used for?
- Where is it profitable to buy cut mica?
- Where is it profitable to buy spacer mica?
- Where can I order mica SEP?
- Where can I order SMA mica?
- Where can I order mica SK?
- Where can I buy muscovite at a profit?
- Where is it profitable to order mica products?
- Where is it profitable to order mica plates?
- Where to buy capacitor mica?
- Where can I buy microwave mica?
- Properties and purpose of capacitor mica
- Properties and purpose of mica SPM
- Properties and purpose of VLF mica
- Properties and purpose of mica CO
- Properties and purpose of mica SZ
- Crystal structure
- Mica hardness
- Heat resistance
- Swelling and water release
- Thermal conductivity
- Electrical Conductivity
- Electrical strength
- double refraction
- Shine, transparency of micas
- Density
- Hygroscopicity, water absorption
- Crystal surface microrelief
- Electrification of crystals and splitting work
- Secondary bonds in a split crystal
- Molecular water and thermal pinch
- Shear force anisotropy
- Defective cut edge
- Types of deposits
- Search and exploration of mica-bearing bodies
- Deposit sampling
- GOST 13752-86
- GOST 13751-86
- GOST 18096-87
- TU 5724-025-00281944-01
- GOST 13753-86
- GOST 13750-88
- GOST 7134-82
- GOST compliance
- Muscovite
- Mica mining
- Mica deposit in Russia
- Applications of mica insulation
- Mica spacer
- Mica parts
- Mica plates
- Mica cut
- Characteristics and history of mica mining
- Production of mica products by Siberian Minerals company
- Types of mica and their purpose
- Properties of mica for attenuators
- Properties of mica for vacuum devices
Discounted SMOG mica plates
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MUCA
Muscovite mica is transparent and has a glassy luster. Phlogopite is usually a dark mica, visible only in thin sheets.
The yield of finished mica sheet products from mined raw materials averages 8,25%. This leads to a fairly high price for products and their shortage.
In the middle of the 20th century, the price of sheet mica varied from 50 to 1000 kopecks per sheet. For comparison, foreign merchants of that time paid 16 rubles for 1 squirrels, and XNUMX ruble for a pound of black caviar.
The word “mica” (“sluda”) is originally Russian. Since ancient times, the meaning of the expression “sludiatsya” meant “to layer.” The word “slada” was first mentioned in the “Ostromir Gospel” (1057)
The chemical composition of mica reaches 40 elements. Moreover, sharp fluctuations in the chemical composition are observed even in micas from the same deposit and, often, from the same crystal.
If mica is added to concrete, this will dramatically increase its strength, while reducing heat and sound conductivity.
August 1689 is considered to be the starting point of the mica industry in the Mamsko-Chuysky region, when the Yakut governor Zinoviev issued the Cossack Afanasy Pushchin with a “Mandatory Memory”, to which he was obliged.” find and harvest mica along the Vitim River. »
Mica plates are also widely used as a design material. Thus, mica is used for fireplace screens, creating a decorative effect and at the same time protecting against high temperatures.
In the ancient Indian city of Teotihuacan in Mexico, a strange structure called the “Mica Temple” was discovered. Similar structures have not been found anywhere else in the world. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the structure on top is covered with a double layer of muscovite mica, the purpose of which is still unknown.
In the 18th century, mica occupied an important place at the annual Irkutsk fairs along with traditional Siberian goods – furs, leather, silver. Here it was purchased by Russian merchants and exported to Moscow.
Muscovite is a strategic raw material, used in 22 areas, “from cosmetics to space.”
Mica is one of the most common minerals in the earth’s crust. In ordinary rocks it occurs in the form of tiny flakes. Industrial deposits where crystals reach large sizes are extremely rare.
During the Great Patriotic War, the demand for high-quality mica used in the defense industry increased sharply. Mica was in acute shortage: the Karelian deposits were captured by the enemy, Biryusinskoe was depleted. All muscovite mining was carried out only at the Mamsko-Chuyskoye deposit.
The second half of the 18th century was marked by successes in glass production and a decrease in its price. This led to a fall in demand for mica and a reduction in its production. However, the windows of warships continued to be made of mica, since glass ones could not withstand gun salvos.
One of the largest muscovite crystals in history was found in Canada. Its size was 1,95×2,85×0,6 m and it weighed about 7 tons.
The name of the variety of mica “vermiculite” comes from the Latin word “worm”, because when heated it forms long worm-like columns and ropes.
For the first time, synthetic mica, fluorphlogopite, was obtained by the Russian scientist K.D. Khrushchev in 1887. Artificial mica is almost transparent and is superior to natural mica in a number of characteristics.
In Russia at the beginning of the 21st century, a paradoxical situation has arisen: a power that has enormous mica resources is forced to buy it abroad, since there is practically no domestic mining. History is cyclical: an absolutely identical situation was observed at the beginning of the last century.
During the time of Peter I, there was a great demand for mica (“Moscow glass”) from Western Europe and America, used for the windows of warships, which was satisfied mainly by Mamskaya mica.
Neither the ancient Greeks nor the Romans were familiar with mica. In scientific treatises of Western Europe, mica began to be called “Vitrum Moscoviticum”, i.e. glass of Muscovy. Later the name was simplified, it became shorter “muscovite” and, finally, in mineralogy it became stronger as “muscovite”
Mica belongs to the electrical insulating materials of the highest class of heat resistance: when heated to several hundred degrees, it retains its electrical properties.
In accordance with the spectral classification of asteroids, a rather rare type of carbon asteroids of class G is distinguished. It is believed that these asteroids are mainly composed of low-temperature hydrated silicates such as mica and clay with an admixture of carbon or organic compounds.
Mica, having high dielectric properties, significant heat resistance, and the ability to split into thin sheets, is an unsurpassed electrical insulating material widely used in radio engineering.
Muscovite mica has high chemical resistance. Hydrochloric acid does not decompose it when heated to 300 degrees Celsius. It is also not susceptible to alkalis.
The heat resistance of muscovite, i.e. the temperature at which it retains its properties, reaches 700 degrees Celsius. For comparison, the melting point of aluminum is 660 degrees, lead – 327, silver – 962.
© 2010—2024, Silicate LLC Articles
Mica is a whole group of natural minerals that has different chemical compositions, but has common properties. Its main characteristics are softness and layering. Mica is a valuable mineral and is often used in construction, medicine, industry and other fields.
What is mica
Mica is a common rock-forming mineral that is similar in appearance to ordinary glass. Any type of it forms the same type of crystal, which can have different color shades or be transparent.
There are several varieties of mica, each differing in the metal and impurities it contains. However, properties such as ease of separation into hard thin layers, elasticity, flexibility, and strength are present in any type of mineral. This breed is also distinguished by its soft structure, which is why, after pressing with a finger, dents remain on it.
Mica is of volcanic origin and lies in the bowels of the earth in those countries whose climatic conditions favor the formation of silicates. It can also be grown under artificial conditions, and the properties of mica will be the same as those of natural stones.
Modern breed classification
Mica is usually classified according to its chemical composition and appearance. The second criterion is used in industry and distinguishes such types as:
- leafy (resemble rolled leaves);
- scrap (fragments and debris from large seams);
- intumescent (fine crumbs).
Regarding the composition, aluminum, magnesium-iron and lithium minerals are distinguished.
Aluminum
Aluminum silicates include:
- Paragonite. It is also called sodium mica. Most often it is colorless or has a yellowish tint. Minerals of light green or whitish color are also found in nature. Has a pearly shine.
- Muscovite (potassium) has a polyhedral structure of tetrahedrons and octahedra. It can be transparent or translucent, white or silver with a green or yellow tint.
Aluminum mica is used in sheet form in the production of capacitor insulators. On the territory of Russia there are several muscovite deposits in Eastern Siberia and on the Kola Peninsula.
Magnesian-ferruginous
Magnesian-ferrous representatives of mica:
- Phlogopite – has a fiery yellow or brown color, breaks up into thin layers of golden color. Most often opaque, but sometimes completely transparent stones are found. The largest deposit is the Aldan province in the Yakutsk region.
- Biotite – makes up 2,5–3% of the entire earth’s crust and forms compounds such as trachytes and granites. The minerals are opaque or translucent and have a dark green color with a brown tint. The largest deposits are located in Germany.
- Lepidomelan. It is not always classified as a separate group; it is more often classified as biotites. It has a coal-black color.
Magnesium-iron silicates are used both in industry and in everyday life. They decorate the scenery at theatrical performances, outfits, accessories, etc.
Lithium
The lithium micas group includes:
- Lepidolite – a valuable mineral that is a source of cesium, rubidium, and lithium. It has a mixed color with pink, gray, white, yellow, green or purple tint. Has a pearly shine.
- Tainiolite. A colorless or dull green stone with a glassy sheen.
- Zinnwaldite. Easily confused with biotite due to its silver, black or brown color. Has a pearlescent sheen.
Large deposits of lithium rocks are located in Brazil, Russia, Canada and Madagascar. This type of mica is so beautiful that it is widely used in jewelry as inclusions.
History and origin of the mineral
The name “mica” comes from the Vologda word “sluda”, which in modern Russian means “layer”. One of the varieties of crystal, muscovite, also owes its name to the Slavs, because back in the Middle Ages, Europeans began to call the stone mined in Muscovy that name. Russian mica was considered the best in the world; it was purchased by both eastern and western merchants.
Man learned to use the mineral several million years ago. Scientists were able to find evidence of the use of this stone for cave paintings of the Upper Paleolithic era. Thus, in one of the pyramids of the ancient Mexican settlement of Teotihuacan, paintings on the walls were preserved using mica-based paint.
The mineral was also used in Russia for:
- decoration of icons, lamps;
- decorating items used by members of the royal family (boxes, caskets);
- finishing of window frames of the Hermitage and the Kremlin Museum.
Until the end of the 20th century, mica was considered a luxury, and ordinary people could not afford it. However, after they learned to synthesize the mineral, its cost dropped sharply.
Stone mining methods
Mica occurs naturally in nature, but it can also be grown artificially.
If we talk about natural mining of the mineral, then 2 options are used, depending on the depth of its occurrence:
- Open. Suitable for stones located no deeper than 100 m. In this case, the quarry principle is used, when the top layer of the earth is drilled or exploded with dynamite, high-quality crystals are selected manually.
- Closed (mine). It is used in the extraction of mica at depths from 100 to 4000 m. Shafts and underground passages are laid to the location of the mineral, and the ground around the deposits is exploded or loosened with a drill.
In the process of producing synthetic stone, conditions are created that are as close as possible to natural ones: the temperature is kept within 1400 °C with a gradual decrease to 1200 °C, almost the same components are used as natural mica. The result is a fine crystal suitable for powder or small products.
Materials
Although the mineral may contain different elements, its basic characteristics apply to all varieties. Properties are conventionally divided into physical, chemical and medicinal.
Physical and chemical
Mica has a number of characteristics that combine minerals of different compositions:
- cleavage – the crystal is easily divided into thick plates in any direction;
- flexibility;
- softness – a small impact leaves a visible mark on the stone;
- strength;
- resistance to high temperature and radiation;
- hygroscopicity – the ability to absorb water.
Also, layered rock has the following properties:
- bends at an angle of 90°;
- has a mixed color with different shades;
- contains inclusions of other substances;
- has a heterogeneous surface with gas accumulations inside the stone;
- It cracks when pressed hard.
Even after splitting into plates, mica retains its properties.
Treatment
It is believed that mica of natural origin has a healing effect and has a beneficial effect on the state of the endocrine and hormonal systems. It also acts as an antiseptic for external wounds, promotes their healing and gives the skin a well-groomed appearance. In order for a stone to become medicinal, it must be worn as jewelry on the body constantly or used in powder form, as, for example, in the treatment of skin lesions or acne.
Application of mica
The layered mineral is widely used in various fields: in industry, mechanical engineering, everyday life, agriculture, medicine, cosmetology, etc. It is used to produce:
- paints, varnishes;
- electrical equipment;
- portholes;
- blush, powder, eye shadow and other cosmetics;
- hydrothermal plates for installation in water boilers;
- inspection windows for furnaces;
- Jewelry;
- decorative elements, sparkles;
- coating for paper, wallpaper;
- mixtures for creating rubber, plastic, synthetics, etc.
Mica is also used to improve soil composition in gardening. Repairing a microwave oven also cannot be done without this crystal – it is used to insulate the waveguide. Even when restoring ivory objects, this unique mineral is used.
Application of mica
Breed cost
In past centuries, only wealthy people could afford to use mica, as its price was very high. Over time, crystal mining methods have been improved, the costs of its production have decreased, and with them the market value. Today you can purchase the breed for a price starting from 100 rubles. The total amount depends on:
- extraction method;
- distances between the customer and the field;
- properties of the material (size, color, rarity, etc.).
Mica is quite accessible to everyone, but most often it is bought by magic healers, decorators and representatives of the beauty industry.
Synthetic methods for producing mica
Scientists have learned through synthesis to produce mica artificially, using the same elements that are contained in natural stone. The only discrepancy is the replacement of a group of substances with fluorine atoms. The resulting mica is called fluorphlogopite.
The main advantage of the resulting material is improved dielectric properties, due to which there are no voids filled with air in the stone, and they can withstand higher temperatures. However, it has many more disadvantages relative to its natural analogue:
- producing such mica is technologically difficult, since it requires a gradual decrease in temperature and constant monitoring;
- It is possible to grow only small stones; large crystals are not yet available.
The properties of mica are so valuable that its extraction from the bowels of the earth and production by artificial means occurs continuously, despite the attendant difficulties. The uniqueness and versatility of the mineral makes it in demand in most areas of society.
