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| Adamite
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Discovered
in 1866. IMA
status:
Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)
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Chemistry
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Chemical
Formula: |
Zn2(AsO4)(OH)
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|
Zinc
Arsenate Hydroxide |
Molecular
Weight: |
286.71 gm
|
Composition: |
Zinc |
45.61 % |
Zn |
56.78 % |
ZnO |
|
Arsenic |
26.13 % |
As |
40.08 % |
As2O5 |
|
Hydrogen |
0.35 % |
H |
3.14 % |
H2O |
|
Oxygen |
27.90 % |
O |
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|
|
|
100.00 % |
|
100.00 % |
= TOTAL OXIDE |
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Classification
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Mineral
Classification: |
Phosphates
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Strunz 8th
Ed. ID:
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7/B.06-30
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Nickel-Strunz 10th
Ed. ID:
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8.BB.30
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8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc.,
with additional anions, without H2O
B : With only medium-sized
cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 about 1:1
|
Related
to: |
Olivenite Group. Adamite-Olivenite Series.
The
orthorhombic dimorph of Paradamite. Isostructural
with Olivenite and Libethenite.
|
Members
of Group: |
Olivenite Group:
Adamite, Eveite, Libethenite, Olivenite, Paraadamite,
Tarbuttite, Zincolibethenite,
Zincolivenite
|
Varieties: |
Alumino Adamite,
Cobaltoan Adamite, Cuprian Adamite (Cuproadamite), Manganoan Adamite
(Manganadamite),
Nickeloan Adamite
|
Synonyms: |
Adamine,
Adamite
(of Friedel)
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Crystal
Data
|
|
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Crystallography:
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Orthorhombic
- Dipyramidal
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Crystal
Habit:
|
Crystals
are typically elongated, to 8 cm, may be tabular or
equant; many other forms, usually in radial aggregates,
fanlike rosettes, or crystalline crusts.
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Twinning:
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None
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|
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Physical
Properties
|
|
|
Cleavage: |
Good
on {101}, Poor on {010}
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Fracture: |
Irregular,
Uneven to Subconchoidal
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Tenacity:
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Very
Brittle
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Moh's
Hardness: |
3.5
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Density:
|
4.32
- 4.38 (g/cm3)
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Luminescence:
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May
fluoresce and phosphoresce lemon-yellow or bright green
under SW and
LW UV. |
Radioactivity:
|
Not
Radioacitve |
|
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Optical
Properties
|
|
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Color: |
Pale
yellow, honey-yellow, brownish yellow, reddish; rarely
white, colorless, blue, pale green to green, may be
zoned; bright green (cuprian); bright pink, rose, or
purple (cobaltian); in transmitted light, colorless
or faintly tinted.
|
Transparency: |
Transparent
to Translucent |
Luster: |
Vitreous,
Resinous |
Refractive
Index: |
1.708
- 1.773 Biaxial ( +/- )
|
Birefringence: |
0.055
|
Dispersion: |
Strong; r > v
or r < v |
Pleochroism: |
Weak;
in pale colors if cuprian or cobaltian |
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Occurances
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Geological
Setting: |
A
secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of zinc- and
arsenic-bearing hydrothermal mineral deposits. |
Common
Associations: |
Smithsonite,
Hemimorphite, Scorodite, Olivenite, Limnoite, Calcite,
Quartz, Fe–Mn oxides |
Common
Impurities: |
Cu,
Mn |
Type
Locality: |
Chañarcillo, Copiapó Province, Atacama Region, Chile
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Year
Discovered: |
1866
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View
mineral photos: |
Adamite
Mineral Photos and Locations |
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Unusual
Gem Categories
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Fluorescent Gems
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More
Information
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Mindat.org
Webmineral.com
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Adamite
is a rare zinc
phosphate mineral that belongs to the Olivenite
Group of minerals that also includes Tarbuttite
among others.
It is a secondary mineral
found in zinc deposits containing arsenic-bearing minerals.
Adamite is very popular among collectors of fluorescent
minerals because of its bright yellow to green fluorescence under
short wave UV light. If you hover your cursor over the
picture at the top of this page you will see the bright
green fluorescence the gem exhibits under shortwave
UV light. Adamite is isostructural
with the minerals Olivenite and Libethenite.
This means they share the same crystal symmetry and
similar crystal shapes.
There
are several varieties of Adamite that are based on additional
chemicals added to the Adamite formula. These are Alumino Adamite,
Cobaltoan Adamite, Cuprian
Adamite (Cuproadamite), Manganoan
Adamite
(Manganadamite),
Nickeloan Adamite. Of these, I have only found two of
these varieties that
have been faceted; Cuprian Adamite and Manganoan Adamite.
Adamite
was named in 1866 by French chemist and mineralogist
Charles Friedel
(1832-1899) in honor of Gilbert-Joseph Adam (1795-1881), Auditor of Finance for the French Government,
who supplied the
first specimens of the mineral. Adam was a wealthy mineral collector and
his mineral collection was described in Annales des Mines in
1869 and also in a published catalog the same year. Adam's mineral collection was eventually
acquired by the École
des Mines, Paris, France. He was a member of Société géologique de
France and received the honor of Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur. Adam was also the
discoverer of the minerals Aerugite, Chenevixite, Corkite, Cuprotungstite, Scacchite,
and Xanthiosite.
Although there are many sources of Adamite mineral specimens,
there has been only one source of gem quality crystals,
the Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Mun. de Mapimí, Durango, Mexico.
There have been some beautiful, deep green crystals
found at the Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region, Namibia,
but these are generally too small for faceting.
Adamite
distribution: a number of localities; some for
studied material or fine specimens include: from Chañarcillo,
south of Copiapó, Atacama, Chile. In Mexico,
large crystals at the Ojuela mine, Mapimí, Durango;
in the Hidalgo mine, Zimapán, Hidalgo; and from
Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua. In the USA, at Gold Hill,
Tooele County, Utah, and in the Mohawk mine, Clark Mountains,
San Bernardino County, California. At the Cap Garonne
mine, near le Pradet, Var, France. From Reichenbach,
near Bensheim, Hesse, and in the Clara mine, near Oberwolfach,
Black Forest, Germany. In England, from several places
in Cornwall, and at Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria. In the
Kamariza mine, Laurium, Greece. Large crystals from
Tsumeb, Namibia. At the Puttapa zinc mine, near Beltana,
and on Mt. Painter, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.
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Adamite
gems for sale:
|
Gem:
|
Adamite |
Stock
#:
|
ADAM-001 |
Weight:
|
.2425
ct |
Size: |
5.35
x 3.69 x 1.90 mm |
Shape: |
Trilangle |
Color: |
Pale
Yellow |
Clarity: |
Translucent |
Origin: |
Ojuela
Mine, Durango, Mexico |
Treatment: |
None
(natural) |
Price: |
$74.00
[
Make an offer ] |
Pictures
are of the actual gem offered for
sale. Gem images are magnified to
show detail. |
|
|
This rare
gem is from the Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Mun. de Mapimí, Durango, Mexico.
The second picture shows the gem under
shortwave UV light.
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Gem:
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Cuprian
Adamite |
Stock
#:
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ADCU-001 |
Weight:
|
0.4180
ct |
Size: |
4.74
x 4.68 x 2.44 mm |
Shape: |
Trillion |
Color: |
Green |
Clarity: |
Opaque |
Origin: |
Tsumeb
Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia |
Treatment: |
None
(natural) |
Price: |
SOLD
(but we have others) |
Pictures
are of the actual gem offered for
sale. Gem images are magnified to
show detail. |
|
|
This rare
gem is from the Tsumeb Mine (Tsumcorp Mine), Tsumeb, Otjikoto (Oshikoto) Region, Namibia.
This gem is a little rough as you can
see but it is the only Cuprian Adamite I
have found from Tsumeb.
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Gem:
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Manganoan
Adamite |
Stock
#:
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ADMN-001 |
Weight:
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0.0895
ct |
Size: |
2.71
x 2.64 x 1.61 mm |
Shape: |
Triangle |
Color: |
Pink |
Clarity: |
Translucent |
Origin: |
Ojuela
Mine, Mapimi, Mexico |
Treatment: |
None
(natural) |
Price: |
SOLD
(but we have others) |
Pictures
are of the actual gem offered for
sale. Gem images are magnified to
show detail. |
|
|
This rare
gem is from the Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Mun. de Mapimí, Durango, Mexico.
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