Hydrozincite

Typically found as massive, earthy, porous to compact, powdery aggregates and encrustations of very small to microscopic crystals. The colour is white to grey, but it may be stained a wide variety of hues by impurities, with yellowish and brownish to pinkish hues predominating. An alteration product generally of sphalerite, also of hemimorphite, and smithsonite. May be confused with the visually similar zinc carbonate-sulphate brianyoungite and with the very rare zinc carbonate sclarite. Chemically related to parádsasvárite.

History

Activities related to discovery and approval of the group members

Structural context

Hydrozincite
Crystal System monoclinicCrystal Class prismaticSpace Group C2/m
a13.54—13.62 (13.58)
b6.287—6.3 (6.2935)
c5.382—5.42 (5.401)
alpha90
beta95.74—95.833 (95.7865)
gamma90
volume455.851—462.661 (459.256)

Based on 2 measurements

Chemical context

Stoichiometric formulas

Hydrozincite
mindat.org
  • March 13, 2023Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6
IMA
  • March 13, 2023Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6
mineralogy.rocks
  • Aug. 30, 2022Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6

Elements recorded on EPMA

2
C
2
H
2
O
2
Zn

Physical properties

ColorColor entities, recognized using a custom trained NER model
      • stained pale pink
      • pale yellow
        • colourless
        Color noteOriginal color note from the source
        White to grey, stained pale pink, or pale yellow or brown; colourless in transmitted light.
        StreakStreak entities, recognized using a custom trained NER model
          Streak noteOriginal streak note from the source
          White
          Lustre
          Silky
          Pearly
          Dull
          Earthy
          Fracture
          Irregular/Uneven
          Transparency
          Transparent
          Translucent
          Tenacity
          very brittle
          Hardness
          2—2.5
          Measured density
          3.5—4
          Calculated density
          3.97