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Zaratite
Zaratite is a bright emerald green nickel carbonate mineral with formula Ni3CO3(OH)4·4H2O. Zaratite crystallizes in the isometric crystal system as massive to mammillary encrustations and vein fillings. It has a specific gravity of 2.6 and a Mohs hardness of 3 to 3.5. It has no cleavage and has a brittle to conchoidal fracture. The luster is vitreous to greasy.
It is a rare secondary mineral formed by hydration or alteration of the primary nickel and iron bearing minerals, chromite, pentlandite, pyrrhotite, and millerite, during the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks. Hellyerite, NiCO3·6H2O, is a related mineral.
It was found originally in Galicia, Spain in 1851, and named after Spanish diplomat and dramatist Antonio Gil y Zarate (1793-1861).
See also
References
- Mineral Data Publishing, PDF
- Webmineral data
- Mindat with location data
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Zaratite". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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