Static electricity pulled the rubber mat right off the Turntable!

Aluminum is quite commonly used either alone or in concert with other metals to build turntable platters.  I would guess that the majority of platters have some aluminum in them.  Therefore, I am trying to figure out why some of you guys believe that the VPI aluminum platter is particularly prone to static electric build-up.  Moreover, isn't the static charge most often present at the interface between the mat and the LP itself? It is and always has been so at my house, in my system.

My discussion was not intended to imply that the aluminum platter was the cause, only as a pointbof reference.  I suspect that the very thin leather mat which can conduct el

Let me try this again, my discussion was not intended to imply that the aluminum platter was the cause, only a point of reference.  I suspect that the very thin leather mat that I am using can more easily conduct the static electricity produced to the platter which via the platter bearing is electrically drained to ground.  When I tried a thicker leather mat which had a thicker suede nap, even with the platter grounded, enough static developed to allow the record to lift the leather mat.

I'm running a VPI HW-19 MK IV.  I too had a static issue.  When humidity was low, upon removing a freshly played record from the platter static would discharge from the record to the cartridge.  My VPI has the Delrin, lead platter which is used with no mat to stick to record.  I grounded the bearing shaft to the lug on my preamp and the static issue disappeared.  I assume this is because static buildup is now draining from the LP to the spindle, to the bearing, to the bearing housing to the preamp.