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  • All Minerals Considered
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Small but mighty sperrylite

Sperrylite is a tiny and rare mineral. However, Hannah Hughes and colleagues explain why often-overlooked sperrylite and its diverse platinum-group mineral siblings are critical for the green energy transition.

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Correspondence to Hannah S. R. Hughes.

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Hughes, H.S.R., Zaccarini, F. & Andersen, J. Small but mighty sperrylite. Nat. Geosci. 18, 688 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01759-4

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