Conichalcite Mineral Data

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General Conichalcite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaCu(AsO4)(OH)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 259.55 gm

Calcium 15.44 % Ca 21.61 % CaO

Copper 24.48 % Cu 30.65 % CuO

Arsenic 28.87 % As 44.28 % As₂O₅

Hydrogen 0.39 % H 3.47 % H₂O

Oxygen 30.82 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaCu(AsO₄)(OH)

Environment:

secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of copper deposits, typically an alteration product of enargite. Forms three series; with austinite, with cobaltaustinite, and with tangeite.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1849

Locality:

Hinojosa de Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named from the Greek for lime and copper, as both elements are essential to the composition.

Name Pronunciation:

Conichalcite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

Higginsite

ICSD 64694

PDF 37-448

Conichalcite Image

Images:

Click Here for Larger Conichalcite Image

Conichalcite Willemite

Comments: Conichalcite with willemite.
Location: Collected from the 30 level of the Tsumeb mine. Tsumeb, Namibia. Scale: 2.1 x 1.5 cm.
© John Veevaert

Images:

Conichalcite Cornubite

Comments: Blue green crystalline cornubite alteration of enargite with green conichalcite in white calcite.
Location: Lime Bluff Quarry, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Conichalcite Barahonaite-(Fe)

Comments: Micro yellow, platy barahonaite-(Fe) crystals associated with green "beads" of conichalcite, yellowish, earthy arseniosiderite and micro olivenite crystals.
Location: Dolores prospect near the village of Pastrana, in the Province of Murcia of southeastern Spain. Scale: Specimen Size 6 x 4 x 2 cm.
© Tom Loomis / Dakota Matrix

Conichalcite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.7994:1:0.6297

Cell Dimensions:

a = 7.382, b = 9.234, c = 5.815, Z = 4; V = 396.38 Den(Calc)= 4.35

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - DisphenoidalH-M Symbol (2 2 2) Space Group: P 2₁2₁2₁

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.842(1), 3.118(0.9), 2.594(0.5),

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Forms: ( 8 2 5) ( 0 1 1) ( 0 2 1) ( 1 1 1) ( 2 2 1) ( 0 4 1) ( 2 0 3) ( 1 1 0) ( 2 0 1) ( 0 0 1)

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Crystal Structure:

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Qurashi M M , Barnes W H , The Canadian Mineralogist , 7 (1963) p.561-577, The structures of the minerals of the descloizite and adelite groups:, IV - desclozite and conichalcite (part 2) The structure of conichalcite

Physical Properties of Conichalcite

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Yellow green, Emerald green.

Density:

4.1

Diaphaneity:

Subtranslucent

Fracture:

Brittle - Uneven - Very brittle fracture producing uneven fragments.

Habit:

Fibrous - Crystals made up of fibers.

Habit:

Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Habit:

Reniform - "Kidney like" in shape (e.g.. hematite).

Hardness:

4.5 - Between Fluorite and Apatite

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous - Greasy

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

light green

Optical Properties of Conichalcite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.072 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.01 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1829,KPDmeas= 0.194,KC= 0.181
Ncalc = 1.74 - 1.79

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+/-), a=1.73-1.8, b=1.795-1.831, g=1.771-1.846, bire=0.0410-0.0460

Calculated Properties of Conichalcite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=4.12 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Conichalcite =4.35 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0003569827
Boson Index = 0.9996430173

Photoelectric:

PE_Conichalcite= 32.59 barns/electron
U=PE_Conichalcite x rElectron Density= 134.37 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Conichalcite is Not Radioactive

Conichalcite Classification

Dana Class:

41.05.01.02 (41)Anhydrous Phosphates, etc. Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen

(41.05)where (A B)2 (XO4) Zq

(41.05.01)Adelite Group

41.05.01.01 Adelite CaMg(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

41.05.01.02 Conichalcite CaCu(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

41.05.01.03 Austinite CaZn(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

41.05.01.04 Duftite-beta? PbCu(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

41.05.01.05 Gabrielsonite PbFe(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁m mm2

41.05.01.06 Tangeite CaCu(VO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

41.05.01.07 Nickelaustinite Ca(Ni,Zn)(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

41.05.01.08 Cobaltaustinite CaCo(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

41.05.01.09 Arsendescloizite PbZn(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

41.05.01.10 Gottlobite! CaMg(VO4,AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

Strunz Class:

08.BH.35 08 - PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES

08.B - Phosphates, etc. with Additional Anions, without H2O

08.BH -With medium-sized and large cations, (OH,etc.):RO4 = 1:1

08.BH.35 Austinite CaZn(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Adelite CaMg(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Arsendescloizite PbZn(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Duftite-alpha PbCu(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Duftite-beta? PbCu(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Cobaltaustinite CaCo(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Conichalcite CaCu(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Gabrielsonite PbFe(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁m mm2

08.BH.35 Nickelaustinite Ca(Ni,Zn)(AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Tangeite CaCu(VO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

08.BH.35 Gottlobite! CaMg(VO4,AsO4)(OH) P 2₁2₁2₁ 2 2 2

Other Conichalcite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic4) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Conichalcite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - EUROmin Project
5 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
6 - Franklin Minerals(Dunn)
7 - GeoScienceWorld
8 - Google Images
9 - Google Scholar
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
11 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
12 - MinDAT
13 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
14 - Online Mineral Museum
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info
17 - WWW-MINCRYST
18 - YupRocks

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Conichalcite Specimen Label here :

Conichalcite

CaCu(AsO4)(OH)
Dana No: 41.05.01.02 Strunz No: 08.BH.35
Locality:

Notes: