Cochise College          Photos of Minerals

                          Geology Home Page                

                          Roger Weller, geology instructor

                          [email protected]
                                  copyright 2007-R.Weller
 

Mineral Information on:
hemimorphite

Chemical Group:    silicate

Chemical Formula:    H₂Zn₂SiO₅

Color:  white, bluish white, greenish white, yellowish, brown                Streak: white

Transparency:  transparent to translucent

Hardness:  4.5 to 5                Specific Gravity:  3.40 to 3.50                

Fracture:  uneven to subconchoidal       Tenacity:  brittle

Cleavage:   (110) perfect,  (101) less perfect

Crystal Forms: Orthorhombic system
                    (hemimorphic..top half of crystal is different than bottom half)

Crystal Habit: sheaf-like clusters, stalactitic, botryoidal, fibrous, massive, granular

Mineral Associations:

Identifying Characteristics: 

Uses:  ore of zinc

Occurrences:  Siberia, Mexico;
     in the USA in N.Y., Missouri, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Montana, Colorado, Nevada

Toxicity:      when-swallowed-             when inhaled-

Additional Information:  Hemimorphite is also known as calamine.