Zincocopiapite is a rare secondary sulfate mineral typically found as an oxidation product of zinc-bearing sulfide deposits. Collectors often find it as brittle, yellow platy crystals or crusts in arid environments where iron-rich waters react with zinc minerals.
Is this zincocopiapite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch zincocopiapite with a known reference. Zincocopiapite sits at Mohs 2, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: greenish yellow.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous, pearly to greasy.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: platy crystals, granular crusts, powdery efflorescence.
Often confused with
Zincocopiapite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Zincocopiapite leaves greenish yellow, Copiapite leaves pale yellow; luster reads vitreous, pearly to greasy on Zincocopiapite and pearly on {010} on Copiapite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Zincocopiapite leaves greenish yellow, Fibroferrite leaves white; luster reads vitreous, pearly to greasy on Zincocopiapite and pearly, silky in aggregates on Fibroferrite.
Often found alongside zincocopiapite
Minerals reported to co-occur with zincocopiapite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- ZnFe₄(SO₄)₆(OH)₂·20H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 2
- Density
- 2.181 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Greenish yellow
- Luster
- Vitreous, pearly to greasy
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Platy crystals, granular crusts, powdery efflorescence
- Cleavage
- Perfect on {010}
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- A rare secondary mineral formed in the oxidation zone of a Pb–Zn deposit in a very arid climate (Xitieshan mine, China); a precipitate from thermal hot springs (Kopet-Dag Mountains, Turkmenistan)
Where rockhounds find zincocopiapite
Classic worldwide localities
- Northern front range of the Kopet-Dag Mountains, Turkmenistan
- Băişoara, Romania
- Les Vallettes, Valais, Switzerland
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A rare secondary mineral formed in the oxidation zone of a Pb–Zn deposit in a very arid climate (Xitieshan mine, China); a precipitate from thermal hot springs (Kopet-Dag Mountains, Turkmenistan). If you start seeing copiapite, halotrichite, coquimbite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: platy crystals, granular crusts, powdery efflorescence. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify zincocopiapite?+
Where is zincocopiapite found?+
What rocks look like zincocopiapite?+
What minerals are found with zincocopiapite?+
What kind of rock does zincocopiapite form in?+
What is zincocopiapite used for?+
Find zincocopiapite on the map
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