BY CHISOM IBEMERE
The word Mica is gotten from the latin word “Micare” which means “shiny”. They are group of rock forming silicate minerals that belongs to the subgroup Phyllosilicates.
Mica was first mined in India and was basically used for Medicinal purposes and now used globally for different functions in electrical products and makeups. They are highly reflective and are characterized by thin, though and flexible sheets. They are stable when exposed to electricity, moisture and extreme temperatures.
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Mica are widely distributed and can be found in Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. They are translucent with distinctive pearly lustre. Different groups of Mica minerals appears in varieties of colours like white, green, red and black.
Mica occurs in Igneous rocks as granite and pegmatite, in metamorphic rocks as gneisses and schist and also in sedimentary rocks like the sandstones and clays.
Mica has a wide range of applications which includes their use as dielectrics in capacitors and in insulation of high-voltage electrical equipments. The earliest applications of Mica were found in cave paintings during the upper Paleolithic period.
Mica is found in different parts of Nigeria but substantial quantities are found in Zamfara, Kogi, Rivers, Nasarawa, Ogun and Ekiti States.
