Brochantite
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| Brochantite | |
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| General | |
| Category | Sulfate mineral |
| Chemical formula | Cu4SO4(OH)6 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Green, emerald green, or black |
| Crystal habit | Prismatic crystals; acicular needle-like crystals; druse |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Cleavage | Perfect [100] |
| Fracture | Conchoidal - brittle |
| Mohs Scale hardness | 3.5 - 4.0 |
| Luster | Vitreous - pearly |
| Refractive index | nα = 1.728 nβ = 1.771 nγ = 1.800 |
| Optical Properties | Biaxial (-), 2V measured: 72° |
| Birefringence | δ = 0.072 |
| Pleochroism | Weak |
| Streak | Pale green |
| Specific gravity | 3.97 |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent to translucent |
| References | [1][2][3] |
Brochantite is a sulfate mineral, one of a number of cupric sulfates. Its chemical formula is CuSO4·3Cu(OH)2. Formed in arid climates or in rapidly oxidizing copper sulfide deposits, it is named for its discoverer, the French geologist and mineralogist, A. J. M. Brochant de Villiers (1772-1840).
The mineral is found in a number of locations around the world, notably the southwestern United States (especially Arizona) and Chile.
[edit] References
- ^ http://webmineral.com/data/Brochantite.shtml Webmineral
- ^ http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/brochantite.pdf Mineral Handbook
- ^ http://www.mindat.org/min-779.html Mindat
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