Herbertsmithite Mineral Data

[New Updates Gallery] [Gallery 1] [Gallery 2] [Gallery 3]
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 Herbertsmithite Information

Chemical Formula:

Cu3Zn(OH)6Cl2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 430.25 gm

Zinc 14.59 % Zn 18.16 % ZnO

Copper 44.75 % Cu 56.02 % CuO

Hydrogen 1.39 % H 12.46 % H₂O

Chlorine 17.14 % Cl 17.14 % Cl

- % Cl -3.87 % -O=Cl₂

Oxygen 22.13 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 99.91 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Cu_3.03Zn_0.96(OH)_5.95Cl_2.08

Environment:

On a white quartzite, (2) In limonite gossan with wulfenite crystalsrosasite. (3) On joint surfaces of metamorphosed dolomitic limestone. Related to paratacamite.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 2003 (Dana # Added)

Locality:

Mina Los Tres Presidentes, Sierra Gorda, Chile (type locality). Also from (2) the Kali Kafi mine, Anarak, Iran and from (3) the Chah Khouni mine, Anarak, Iran Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for G.F. Herbert Smith (1872-1953), of the British Museum (Natural History), who discovered paratacamite.

Synonym:

IMA2003-041

Herbertsmithite Image

Images:

Herbertsmithite

Comments: Black and white image of dark green herbertsmithite crystals on pale buff matrix. (Mineralogical Magazine, 68:5310.
Location: Mina Los Tres Presidentes, Sierra Gorda, Chile.. Scale: See Image.
© Mineralogical Magazine

Herbertsmithite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:2.05955

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.834, c = 14.075, Z = 3; V = 569.28 Den(Calc)= 3.76

Crystal System:

Trigonal - Hexagonal ScalenohedralH-M Symbol (3 2/m) Space Group: R 3m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.764(1)(113), 5.466(0.55)(101), 2.266(0.36)(204),1.709(0.18)(220), 4.702(0.14)(003), 1.82(0.13)(303), 2.73(0.13)(202), 2.899(0.11),

Physical Properties of Herbertsmithite

Cleavage:

{101} Good

Color:

Dark green, Blue green.

Density:

3.75 - 3.95, Average = 3.85

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Fracture:

Brittle - Generally displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Habit:

Aggregates - Made of numerous individual crystals or clusters.

Habit:

Rhombohedral Crystals - Occurs as well-formed crystals showing rhobohedral crystals.

Hardness:

3-3.5 - Calcite-Copper Penny

Luster:

Vitreous - Adamantine

Streak:

green

Optical Properties of Herbertsmithite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.033 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.009 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2184,KPDmeas= 0.2132,KC= 0.2204
Ncalc = 1.83 - 1.87

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.817, w=1.825, bire=0.0080.

Calculated Properties of Herbertsmithite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.59 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Herbertsmithite =3.76 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0060902254
Boson Index = 0.9939097746

Photoelectric:

PE_{Herbertsmithite}= 28.19 barns/electron
U=PE_{Herbertsmithite} x rElectron Density= 101.29 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Herbertsmithite Classification

Dana Class:

10.01.02.03 (10)Oxyhalides and Hydroxyhalides

(10.01)where (A)2 (O,OH)3 Xq

(10.01.02)Paratacamite Group

10.01.02.01 Paratacamite (Cu,Zn)2(OH)3Cl R 3 3

10.01.02.02 Clinoatacamite! Cu2(OH)3Cl P 2₁/n 2/m

10.01.02.03 Herbertsmithite! Cu3Zn(OH)6Cl2 R 3m 3 2/m

10.01.02.04 Kapellasite! Cu3Zn(OH)6Cl2 P 3m1 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

03.DA.10c 03 - HALIDES

03.D - Oxyhalides, Hydroxyhalides and Related Double Halides

03.DA -With Cu, etc., without Pb

03.DA.10c Paratacamite (Cu,Zn)2(OH)3Cl R 3 3

03.DA.10c Gillardite! Cu3NiCl2(OH)6 R 3m 3

03.DA.10c Herbertsmithite! Cu3Zn(OH)6Cl2 R 3m 3 2/m

03.DA.10c Kapellasite! Cu3Zn(OH)6Cl2 P 3m1 3 2/m

03.DA.10c Haydeeite! Cu3Mg(OH)6Cl2 R 3m 3

Other Herbertsmithite Information

References:

NAME( CanMin, 42:1909) PHYS. PROP.(CanMin, 42:1909) OPTIC PROP.(CanMin, 42:1909)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Herbertsmithite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - GeoScienceWorld
4 - Google Images
5 - Google Scholar
6 - MinDAT
7 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
8 - Online Mineral Museum
9 - QUT Mineral Atlas
10 - Ruff.Info

Search for Herbertsmithite using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Herbertsmithite :

B and L Fine Minerals
Dakota Matrix Minerals
Dan & Diana Weinrich Mineral Auctions
Excalibur Mineral Corp.
Exceptional Minerals
John Betts Fine Minerals
Mineral News
Mineral of the Month Club
NY/NJ Gem & Mineral Show
TIMA Mineral Analyzer
Weinrich Minerals, Inc.
Wright's Rock Shop

Ask about Herbertsmithite 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 Herbertsmithite Specimen Label here :

Herbertsmithite

Cu3Zn(OH)6Cl2
Dana No: 10.01.02.03 Strunz No: 03.DA.10c
Locality:

Notes: