Cyanotrichite Mineral Data

Cyanotrichite Mineral Data +

[New Updates] [Gallery 1] [Gallery 2] [Gallery 3] [Rock Shop Gallery]
Serving the mineral collector and educator community since 1970
Over 900,000 mineral specimens in stock
New minerals acquired weekly - Wright's Rock Shop

General Cyanotrichite Information

Chemical Formula:

Cu4Al2(SO4)(OH)12·2(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 644.33 gm

Aluminum 8.38 % Al 15.82 % Al₂O₃

Copper 39.45 % Cu 44.42 % Cu₂O

Hydrogen 2.50 % H 22.37 % H₂O

Sulfur 4.98 % S 12.43 % SO₃

Oxygen 44.70 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 95.03 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Cu₄Al₂(SO₄)(OH)₁₂·2(H₂O)

Environment:

Formed by the oxidation of copper ores together with other minerals of oxidation zones.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1839

Locality:

Moldava Noua (Moldawa, Új Moldova), Banat, Romania. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Greek, kyaneos, "blue" and triches, "hair," hence, blue hair.

Synonym:

Lettsomite

Cyanotrichite Image

Images:

Cyanotrichite

Comments: Blue, hairy crystals of cyanotrichite.
Location: Grandview mine, Grand Canyon, Coconino County, Arizona, USA. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

Images:

Cyanotrichite Azurite

Comments: Blue, hairy crystals of cyanotrichite with dark-blue, blocky azurite on a green, malachite matrix.
Location: Maid of Sunshine Mine, Cochise County, Arizona, USA. Scale: See Image.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Cyanotrichite

Comments: Blue, acicular sprays of cyanotrichite on a gray matrix.
Location: Maid of Sunshine Mine, Cochise County, Arizona, USA. Scale: See Image.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Cyanotrichite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.8057:1:0.2299

Cell Dimensions:

a = 10.16, b = 12.61, c = 2.9, Z = 1; V = 371.54 Den(Calc)= 2.88

Crystal System:

OrthorhombicSpace Group: Unk

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 10.2(1), 3.88(0.9), 5.26(0.8),5.47(0.5), 2.03(0.4), 2.39(0.4), 3.04(0.4), 3.38(0.4),

Physical Properties of Cyanotrichite

Cleavage:

[???] Good

Color:

Sky blue, Light blue, Dark blue.

Density:

2.74 - 2.95, Average = 2.84

Fracture:

Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern.

Habit:

Acicular - Occurs as needle-like crystals.

Habit:

Druse - Crystal growth in a cavity which results in numerous crystal tipped surfaces.

Habit:

Spherical - Spherical, rounded aggregates.

Hardness:

2 - Gypsum

Luminescence:

None.

Luster:

Silky

Streak:

pale blue

Optical Properties of Cyanotrichite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.072 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.083 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2153,KPDmeas= 0.2179,KC= 0.2347

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.588, b=1.617, g=1.655, bire=0.0670, 2V(Calc)=86, 2V(Meas)=82. Dispersion relatively strong.

Pleochroism (x):

none.

Pleochroism (y):

none.

Pleochroism (z):

none.

Calculated Properties of Cyanotrichite

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.81 gm/cc
note: r_{Cyanotrichite}=2.85 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.00059
Boson Index = 0.99941

Photoelectric:

PE_{Cyanotrichite}= 17.46 barns/electron
U=PE_{Cyanotrichite} x r_electron= 49.02 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Cyanotrichite is Not Radioactive

Cyanotrichite Classification

Dana Class:

31.2.1.1 (31)Hydrated Sulfates Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen

(31.2)where (A+ B++)6 (XO4) Zq·x(H2O)

(31.2.1)Dana Group

31.2.1.1 Cyanotrichite Cu4Al2(SO4)(OH)12·2(H2O) Unk Ortho

Strunz Class:

VI/D.08-20 VI - Sulfates,Chromates,Molybdates and Tungstates

VI/D - Water-bearing sulfates with unfamiliar anions. cations of medium size

VI/D.08 - Spangolite - Glaucocerinite series

VI/D.08-05 Bechererite! (Zn,Cu)6Zn2(OH)13[(S,Si)(O,OH)4]2 P 3 3

VI/D.08-10 Spangolite Cu6Al(SO4)(OH)12Cl·3(H2O) P 3₁c 3m

VI/D.08-20 Cyanotrichite Cu4Al2(SO4)(OH)12·2(H2O) Unk Ortho

VI/D.08-30 Carbonate-cyanotrichite Cu4Al2(CO3,SO4)(OH)12·2(H2O) Unk Ortho

VI/D.08-35 Camerolaite Cu4Al2[HSbO4,SO4](OH)10(CO3)·2(H2O) P 2₁ ? 2

VI/D.08-40 Woodwardite Cu4Al2(SO4)(OH)12·2-4(H2O) Unk Hex

VI/D.08-42 Hydrowoodwardite! Cu1-xAlx(OH)2(SO4)x/2·n(H2O)with0<x<0.67andn>3x/2 R 3m 3 2/m

VI/D.08-45 Zincowoodwardite! [Zn1-xAlx(OH)2][(SO4)x/2(H2O)n] P 3- or R 3m 3

VI/D.08-45* Zincowoodwardite-1T! [Zn1BxAlx(OH)2][(SO4)x/2·n(H2O)],x=0.33,n.0.96 P 3 3

VI/D.08-45** Zincowoodwardite-3R! [Zn1BxAlx(OH)2][(SO4)x/2·n(H2O)],0.32<x<0.50,n=0.59 R 3m 3 2/m

VI/D.08-50 Chalcoalumite CuAl4(SO4)(OH)12·3(H2O) P 2₁ 2

VI/D.08-60 Nickelalumite (Ni,Cu)Al4[(SO4),(NO3)2](OH)12·3(H2O) P 2₁ 2

VI/D.08-70 Mbobomkulite (Ni,Cu)Al4(NO3,SO4)2(OH)12·3(H2O) P 2₁ 2

VI/D.08-80 Hydrombobomkulite (Ni,Cu)Al4(NO3,SO4)2(OH)12·14(H2O) Unk Mono

VI/D.08-90 Carrboydite (Ni,Cu)14Al9(SO4,CO3)6(OH)43·7(H2O) Unk Hex

VI/D.08-100 Zincaluminite Zn6Al6(SO4)2(OH)26·5(H2O) Unk Hex

VI/D.08-110 Glaucocerinite (Zn,Cu)5Al3(SO4)1.5(OH)16·9(H2O) Unk (HEX-R) Trig

Other Cyanotrichite Information

References:

NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Ford32)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Cyanotrichite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - EUROmin Project
5 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
6 - Google Images
7 - Google Scholar
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
10 - MinDAT
11 - MinMax(Deutsch)
12 - MinMax(English)
13 - Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
14 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info
17 - YupRocks

Search for Cyanotrichite using:

[ALTAVISTA] [AOL] [All-The-Web] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [MAMMA] [MSN.COM] [Netscape] [Scirus] [Teoma] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Cyanotrichite :

AA Mineral Specimens

B & L Fine Minerals

Dan Weinrich Fine Minerals

Dan Weinrich Auctions

John Betts Fine Minerals

Mason's Minerals

Mineral News

Mineral of the Month Club

MineralsWeb Fine Minerals

The GeoZone

Wrights Rock Shop

Translate Cyanotrichite Mineral Data :

Ask about Cyanotrichite here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

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

Cyanotrichite

Cu4Al2(SO4)(OH)12·2(H2O)
Dana No: 31.2.1.1 Strunz No: VI/D.08-20
Locality:

Notes: