Tsumeb Mine (Tsumcorp Mine), Tsumeb, Oshikoto Region, Namibia
ZnCO3
Crystal System: trigonal
Colour: yellowish-brown to greyish-brown, pale yellow to tannish, grey, brown, green, red, black and sometimes nearly colourless; tarnished iridescent at times
Lustre: vitreous, pearly
Habitus: rarely as rhombohedral or scalenohedral crystals. Typically in botryoidal, reniform, or spherulitic aggregates. Earthy, friable, granular to porous or compact masses.
Hardness: 4-4.5
Fracture: irregular/uneven, conchoidal
Cleavage: perfect on {10-11}
Density: 4.43 g/cm3
Origin and geological occurrence: smithsonite is a common mineral of the oxidation zone of zinc deposits
Samples:
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5.19 Smithsonite #carbonates |
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5.22 Smithsonite #economic minerals |