Stercorite is the mineral form of

microcosmic salt Microcosmic salt (see infobox for other names) is a salt found in urine with the formula Na(NH4)HPO4. It is left behind in the residues after extracting the urea from dried urine crystals with alcohol. In the mineral form, microcosmic salt is call ...

. The name comes from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"stercus", meaning dung, since the mineral was originally discovered among

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

References

Phosphate minerals Sodium minerals Ammonium minerals Triclinic minerals Minerals in space group 2 {{phosphate-mineral-stub