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Formula: K3Ti4+Fe3+(SO4)4O(H2O)2
Sulphate, titanium-bearing mineral
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 2.80 measured, 2.807 calculated for the empirical formula
Hardness: 4
Streak: White
Colour: Pale yellow
Luminescence: No fluorescence under long wave or short wave UV
Solubility: Hydrophobic, insoluble in cold and hot water, very slowly soluble in acids and decomposes slowly in
bases
Environments
Localities
At the type locality, te Alcaparrosa Mine, Sierra Gorda, Antofagasta Province, Antofagasta, Chile, the deposit
formed by the oxidation of pyritic masses under increasingly arid
conditions, and alcaparrosaite likely formed at a relatively early stage. On the cotype specimens,
alcaparrosaite occurs on and intergrown with coquimbite. It is
also associated with ferrinatrite,
krausite, pertlikite,
pyrite, tamarugite and
voltaite. Other minerals that occur at the deposit include
aluminocopiapite,
amarantite, botryogen,
copiapite,
cuprocopiapite,
fibroferrite,
halotrichite, jarosite,
krausite, metahohmannite,
metavoltine,
natrojarosite,
parabutlerite,
paracoquimbite,
pickeringite,
quenstedtite,
rhomboclase, romerite,
sideronatrite and
szomolnokite.
Alcaparrosaite crystals occur as blades and tapering prisms up to 4 mm in length
(MM 76.4.851-861).
Alcaparrosaite from the Alcaparrosa Mine -
Image
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