Alcaparrosaite

alcaparrosaite

ferrinatrite

pertlikite

tamarugite

Images

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

Hydrothermal 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

Back to Minerals