Cuprian Adamite
Cuprian Adamite, also called Cuproadamite, is a variety that is green of containing some copper that ended up being originally reported from Cap Garonne Mine, Pradet, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France. This copper gives Cuprian Adamite its distinct pale to dark color that is green. Adamite is amongst the fluorescent minerals which can be best but Cuprian Adamite will not fluoresce as the copper kills the fluorescence. This isn’t a test that is foolproof some Adamites that contain little or no copper do not fluoresce either. The majority of other properties of Cuprian Adamite are identical to Adamite except typical color, fluorescence and density. Cuprian Adamite is an mineral that is intermediate Adamite and Olivinite. There is really a pink to variety that is purple of called Manganoan Adamite that is colored by its manganese content.
Distribution: In Australia at Cracked Hill, Yancowinna County, New Southern Wales. In Chile at Veta Negra Mine, Pampa Larga district, Tierra Amarilla, Copiapó Province, Atacama Region. In China at Pinggui District, Hezhou Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In France at the Clara and Tistoulet Mines, Padern, Tuchan, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon. In Greece at Lavrion District, Attikí (Attica; Attika) Prefecture. In Italy at the Vignola Mine, Vignola-Falesina, Valsugana, Trento Province, Trentino-Alto Adige. In Mexico during the Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Mun. de Mapimí, Durango. In Namibia at the Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region. In Russia at Dal’negorsk, Kavalerovo Mining District, Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region. Into the USA at Mohawk Hill, Pactolus, Clark Mountain District, Clark Mts (Clark Mountain number), San Bernardino County, Ca; San Rafael Mine, Quartz Mountain camp, Lodi District, Nye County, Nevada; and at Gold Hill, Gold Hill District, Deep Creek Mts, Tooele County, Utah.
| Chemical Formula: | Zn2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 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 | |||
| 100.00 % | 100.00 % | = TOTAL OXIDE |
| Crystallography: | Orthorhombic – Dipyramidal |
| 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. |
| Twinning: | None |
| Cleavage: | Good on {101}, Poor on {010} |
| Fracture: | Irregular, Uneven to Subconchoidal |
| Tenacity: | Very Brittle |
| Moh’s Hardness: | 3.5 |
| Density: | 4.32 – 4.38 (g/cm3) |
| Luminescence: | May fluoresce and phosphoresce lemon-yellow or bright green under SW and LW UV. |
| Radioactivity: | Not Radioacitve |
| 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 |
