Is aurichalcite a mineral?
Is aurichalcite a mineral?
aurichalcite, a mineral composed of the hydroxide carbonate of zinc and copper (Zn, Cu)5(OH)6(CO3)2.
Where is aurichalcite found?
In the US, Aurichalcite is found at the Kelly Zinc mine in New Mexico, at the 79 Mine, Banner District, Gila County, Arizona, the copper mines of Bisbee, Arizona; USA; Salida, Chaffee Co., Colorado, and at Lucin, Utah. It is a very minor ore of zinc and copper.
How does aurichalcite form in nature?
From the mineral collection of Brigham Young University Department of Geology, Provo, Utah, Mineral Specimens 082. Description: Aurichalcite forms bluish green radical fibrous crystals in zones where zinc and copper minerals are subjected to oxidization and redeposition of the metals in the present of carbon dioxide.
What is the chemical formula of aurichalcite?
Aurichalcite is a carbonate mineral, usually found as a secondary mineral in copper and zinc deposits. Its chemical formula is (Zn,Cu)₅(CO₃)₂(OH)₆. The zinc to copper ratio is about 5:4.
How is aurichalcite made?
Aurichalcite is composed of copper zinc carbonate hydroxide. As a mineral, it forms in the oxidation zones of zinc-copper deposits. Sources of the mineral are found in Greece (Laurium), Namibia (Tsumeb, Marpimi), Mexico (Durango), and the U.S. (Bisbee Arizona, Colorado, Utah.
What can aurichalcite be used for?
Aurichalcite clears the believer’s aura and smoothes their energy field. Due to the rarity of aurichalcite, it is mainly used as a collector’s mineral. Aurichalcite typically occurs in the oxidized zone of copper and zinc deposits.
How is Aurichalcite made?
What does Aurichalcite look like?
A secondary mineral in copper and zinc deposits, aurichalcite is typically found as blue or green crusts or mats of tiny acicular crystals, often as feathery, tufted, druzes; more rarely it is found as columnar crystal aggregates or crusts of either lamellar aggregates or as granular aggregates.
What is the density of Aurichalcite?
3.64 – 3.9
Aurichalcite Mineral Data
| General Aurichalcite Information | |
|---|---|
| Chemical Formula: | (Zn,Cu)5(CO3)2(OH)6 |
| Color: | Pale green, Sky blue, Greenish blue. |
| Density: | 3.64 – 3.9, Average = 3.77 |
| Diaphaneity: | Transparent |
What is the texture of Aurichalcite?
Aurichalcite is typically found as blue or green mats of tiny crystals; needle-like or feathery druze (aka druzy, drusies – a surface of tiny crystals) and is not commonly found in columnar crystal form. It is soft, as crystalline minerals go, with a hardness of 2 on the Mohs scale and specimens are often fragile.
What does aurichalcite look like?
A secondary mineral in copper and zinc deposits, aurichalcite is typically found as blue or green crusts or mats of tiny acicular crystals, often as feathery, tufted, druzes; more rarely it is found as columnar crystal aggregates or crusts of either lamellar aggregates or as granular aggregates. This section is currently hidden.
Is aurichalcite a natural brass ore?
Aurichalcite is considered a natural brass ore, since it is composed of zinc and copper, the constituents of brass. However, it occurs too sparingly, and there are no practical methods for brass to be extracted from it. It is, though, an ore of zinc and copper when found in mines where there exists workable deposits of these elements.
How did aurichalcum get its name?
A sage noted that the Aurichalcum (Latinized version of the Greek ορείχαλκος – “mountain copper”) of the ancients was “cuivre de Corinthe”, yellow copper or brass; in 1839, Th. Böttger named the mineral accordingly, in allusion to its copper and zinc content, the constituents of brass.
What is the ratio of Zn to cu in aurichalcite?
Aurichalcite: Mineral information, data and localities. This section is currently hidden. Click the show button to view. Zn:Cu ratio is about 5:2, but may approach 2:1.
