Zincolibethenite is a rare copper-zinc phosphate member of the Libethenite Group. Collectors typically find it as vibrant green, short prismatic crystals or crusts within the secondary oxidation zones of base metal mines.
Is this zincolibethenite?
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 zincolibethenite with a known reference. Zincolibethenite sits at Mohs 3.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: very pale bluish.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: bright green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: prismatic, radial, spherical.
Often confused with
Zincolibethenite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Zincolibethenite leaves very pale bluish, Libethenite leaves light green.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Zincolibethenite leaves very pale bluish, Olivenite leaves olive-green to brown; luster reads vitreous on Zincolibethenite and adamantine to vitreous, pearly to silky if fibrous on Olivenite.
How to tell apart: Pseudomalachite is the harder of the two (Mohs 4.5-5 vs. 3.5); streak differs, so Zincolibethenite leaves very pale bluish, Pseudomalachite leaves pale green to pale bluish green.
Often found alongside zincolibethenite
Minerals reported to co-occur with zincolibethenite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CuZn(PO₄)(OH)
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5
- Density
- 3.972 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Very pale bluish
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent to translucent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic, radial, spherical
- Cleavage
- One poor direction perpendicular to crystal length
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- A secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of a polymetallic mineral deposit
Where rockhounds find zincolibethenite
Classic worldwide localities
- Broken Hill mines, Kabwe, Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia)
- Australia in the No 3 lens, 280RL level, Block14 open cut, Broken Hill, New South Wales
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: A secondary mineral in the oxidized zone of a polymetallic mineral deposit. If you start seeing hopeite, tarbuttite, corkite-hinsdalite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: prismatic, radial, spherical. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify zincolibethenite?+
Where is zincolibethenite found?+
Is zincolibethenite safe to handle?+
What rocks look like zincolibethenite?+
What minerals are found with zincolibethenite?+
What kind of rock does zincolibethenite form in?+
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Find zincolibethenite on the map
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