Smithsonite

Object/Artifact

-

Crater Rock Museum

Name/Title

Smithsonite

Entry/Object ID

1984.62.14

Description

Chemical Composition: ZnCO3 Crystal System: Triclinic System Description: Common Name: Smithsonite Chemistry: ZnCO3 Class: Carbonate Location: Kelly Mine, New Mexico Description: Rough back with polished face. Translucent blue layer with brown, tan and white remainder. Physical Characteristics: •Color is commonly apple green, blue-green, lavender, purple, yellow and white as well as tan, brown, blue, orange, peach, colorless, gray, pink and red. •Luster is usually pearly to resinous with light play across its surface and sometimes is simply vitreous. •Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent. •Crystal System is trigonal; bar 3 2/m •Crystal Habits include the rhombohedrons and scalenohedrons with generally curved faces. But more commonly is botryoidal or globular. •Cleavage is perfect in three directions forming rhombohedrons. •Fracture is uneven. •Hardness is 4 - 4.5. •Specific Gravity is approximately 4.4 (heavy for nonmetallic minerals) •Streak is white. •Associated Minerals are those found in oxidation zones of zinc sulfide deposits such as hemimorphite, cerussite, wulfenite, limonite, mimetite, dolomite, hydrozincite, aurichalcite, calcite and other carbonate minerals. •Other Characteristics: Effervesces slightly with warm hydrochloric (HCl) acid. •Best Field Indicators are luster, typical botryoidal habit, cleavage, hardness, reaction to hot acids and density. Fracture: Uneven Hardness: 7 Quartz Luster: Resinous Occurrence: Tsumeb, Namibia and the Broken Hill Mine in Zambia; the Kelly Mine, Magdalena, New Mexico; Leadville, Colorado; Utah; Idaho and Arizona, USA; Mexico; Laurion, Greece; Bytom, Poland; Moresnet, Belgium and many other localities. Rock Type: Sedimentary Specific Gravity: 4.4 Streak: White Variety: zinc sulfide deposits such as hemimorphite, cerussite, wulfenite, limonite, mimetite, dolomite, hydrozincite, aurichalcite, calcite and other carbonate minerals.

Collection

Leland "Cap" Mentzer

Acquisition

Accession

1984.62

Source or Donor

Leland "Cap" Mentzer

Acquisition Method

Long-term Loan

Dimensions

Width

2 in

Depth

2 in

Length

3-3/4 in

Location

Location

Container

Center

Drawer

Top Shelf

Shelf

Center, Center

Wall

North

Room

Mentzer Hall

Building

Mentzer Hall: "Caps Collectables" North case#9

Category

Permanent

Moved By

Steve Miller

Date

March 23, 2011

Location

Shelf

Center

Cabinet

Case# 9

Building

Mentzer Hall: "Caps Collectables"

Category

Permanent