Click on a letter above to view the list of gems.    

  

 


Scorodite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Scorodite

  
Scorodite is named from the Greek word skorodon, for garlic, in allusion to its arsenic odor when heated.

Discovered in 1817;   IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered)

 

Chemistry

 

 

Chemical Formula:

Fe3+AsO4•2H2O

 

Hydrated Iron Arsenate

Molecular Weight:

230.80. gm

Composition:

Iron

24.20 %

Fe

34.60 %

Fe2O3

 

Arsenic

32.46 %

As

49.79 %

As2O5

 

Hydrogen

1.75 %

H

15.61 %

H2O

 

Oxygen

41.59 %

O

 

 

 

 

100.00 %

 

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

 

 

Classification

   

   

Mineral Classification:

Phosphates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

7/C.09-80

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

8.CD.10

 

8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
C : Phosphates without additional anions, with H
2O
D : With only medium-sized cations, RO
4:H2O = 1:2

Related to:

Variscite Group, Scorodite-Yanomamite Series, Scorodite-Mansfieldite Series, Scorodite-Strengite Series.

Varieties:

Aluminian Scorodite, Phosphoscorodite

Synonyms:

Arsenic Sinter, Cupreous Arsenate of Iron, Cupromartial Arsenate, Loaisite, Martial Arsenate of Copper

 

 

Crystal Data

   

   

Crystallography:

Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal

Crystal Habit:

Crystals pyramidal {111}, tabular [001], or prismatic [010], with large {111}, {101}, {201}, {001}, many other modifying forms, to 5 cm. Commonly as crystalline crusts; may be porous, sinterlike, earthy, massive.

Twinning:

None

 

 

Physical Properties

   

 

Cleavage:

{201} Imperfect, {100} Poor, {001} Poor

Fracture:

Sub-Conchoidal, Splintery

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

3.5 - 4.0

Density:

3.27 (g/cm3)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Other:

Soluble in acids; decomposed in strong alkalies. Alters to limonite.

 

 

Optical Properties

   

   

Color:

Pale leek-green, grayish green, liver-brown, pale blue, violet, yellow, pale grayish, colorless; may be blue-green in daylight but bluish purple to grayish blue in incandescent light; in transmitted light, colorless to pale shades of green or brown.

Transparency:

Translucent to Semi-Transparent

Luster:

Vitreous to Subadamantine, Subresinous

Refractive Index:

1.741 - 1.820  Biaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.027 - 0.036

Dispersion:

Relatively Strong; r > v

Pleochroism:

Weak, typically faint; blue-violet to blue-green

 

 

Occurances

   

   

Geological Setting:

A secondary mineral formed by oxidation of As-bearing sulfides.

Common Associations:

Pharmacosiderite, Beudantite, Carminite, Dussertite, Arseniosiderite, Adamite, Austinite, Vivianite, iron oxides

Common Impurities:

Al

Type Locality:

Stamm Asser Mine, Graul, Langenberg, Schwarzenberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany

Year Discovered:

1817

View mineral photos:

Scorodite Mineral Photos and Locations

 

 

More Information

   

   

 

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

 

 


Scorodite is not a rare mineral, but is very rare as a faceted gem. Gems are very small since gem quality crystals are typically very small. Scorodite gems may also rarely display a color change from green to violet under different types of light.

There are numerous occurrences of Scorodite, typically in small amounts. Some localities for well-crystallized material are: in Germany, from Schwarzenberg, Saxony, and in the Clara mine, near Oberwolfach, Black Forest. At Horní Slavkov (Schlaggenwald), Czech Republic. From Lölling, Carinthia, Austria. Found at a number of places in Gwennap, Calstock, and elsewhere in Cornwall, England. Occurs at Djebel Debar, Qacentina (Constantine), Algeria. Very large crystals from Tsumeb, Namibia. Large crystals from Antonio Pereira, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In Mexico, large crystals from the El Cobre mine, Aranzazú, Concepcíon del Oro, Zacatecas, and in the Ojuela mine, Mapimí, Durango. In the USA, in Utah, an ore mineral at Gold Hill, Tooele County, and in the Tintic district, Juab County; and from the Majuba Hill mine, Antelope district, Pershing County, Nevada. At the Kiura mine, Oita Prefecture, Japan, large crystals. From Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia.
 

  
Scorodite gems for sale:

We have not photographed our Scorodite gems. Please check back soon.
 

 


I love Sarah