the.com/talc
The softest mineral on Earth, ranked dead last on the hardness scale and proud of it.
means A very soft mineral made of hydrated magnesium silicate, ground into the fine slippery powder used in talcum and cosmetics.
from From French talc, borrowed from Medieval Latin talcum, which came through Arabic ṭalq — a word the Arabs in turn likely took from Persian. It traveled west along the same scholarly routes as so much mineral and alchemical knowledge, the soft stone keeping its soft-sounding name across every border.
- hardness floor
- Mohs scale 1, scratchable by a fingernail
- baby controversy
- Lawsuits tied talc powder to cancer claims
- chemical name
- Magnesium silicate hydroxide, slippery to the touch
- hidden uses
- In paint, paper, plastics, even chewing gum
- soapstone source
- Carved into bowls and stoves for millennia
for instance
la valley talc mines — california mining region where j&j sourced talc contaminated with asbestos
soapstone carving — traditional art form using talc-rich stone, practiced in agra, india for centuries