Encyclopedia of Chemistry

Otwayite, Ni₂CO₃(OH)₂, is a hydrated nickel carbonate mineral first described from the Otway Nickel Deposit, Nullagine, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia.

Otwayite is green, with a hardness of 4, a specific gravity of 3.4, and crystallises in the orthorhombic system.

Occurrence

Otwayite is found in association with nullaginite and hellyerite in the Otway nickel deposit.

It is found in association with theoprastite, hellyerite, gaspeite and a suite of other nickel carbonate minerals in the Lord Brassey Mine, Tasmania.

Otwayite is found in association with gaspeite, hellyerite and kambaldaite in the Widgie Townsite nickel gossan, Widgiemooltha, Western Australia.

It is also reported from the Pafuri nickel deposit, South Africa.

References

• Nickel, E. H., Robinson, B. W., Davis, C. E. S. & MacDonald, R. D. (1977): Otwayite, a new nickel mineral from Western Australia. American Mineralogist 62, 999-1002.
• Nickel, E. H.; Hallbert, J. A.; Halligan, R. (1979): Unusual nickel mineralization at Nullagine, Western Australia. Journal of the Geological Society of Australia 26, 61-71.
• Henry, D. A. & Birch, W. D. (1992): Otwayite and theophrastite from the Lord Brassey Mine, Tasmania. Mineral. Mag. 56, 252-255.
• Andersen, P., Bottrill, R. & Davidson, P. (2002): Famous mineral localities: The Lord Brassey mine, Tasmania. Mineral. Rec. 33, 321-332.
• Otwayite on Mindat.org