Dypingite

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Formula: Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂.5H₂O
Hydrated carbonate containing hydroxyl
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 2.15 calculated
Streak: White
Colour: White
Luminescence: Fluorescent and phosphorescent, Short UV=grey blue under short wave UV and light blue under long wave
Solubility: Effervescent in cold 1:10 hydrochloric acid
Environments

Hydrothermal environments

Dypingite coats fractures and exposed surfaces in serpentine; it may be of recent formation on dump materials (HOM). It dehydrates to hydromagnesite on heating to 150^oC (AM 55.1457-1465).

Localities

AT the Two Mile deposit, Paddys River District, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, dypingite occurs as a white flaky material on chlorite, and close to patches of aragonite at the back of the adit. The dypingite fluoresces pale blue in short wave UV (AJM 22.1.42).

At the Yoshikawa mine, Shinshiro city, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, dypingite is associated with brucite, brugnatellite, pyroaurite, artinite, hydromagnesite and nesquehonite (HOM).

At the type locality, the Dypingdal serpentine-magnesite deposit, Snarum, Modum, Viken, Norway, the small serpentine-magnesite bodies form steeply dipping, elongated lenses up to 100 m long and 15 m wide. The wall rocks are anthophyllite-bearing quartzite, amphibolite and breccia. The deposit was formerly worked for magnesite and serpentine. Several interesting minerals are found here, including serpentine pseudomorphs after forsterite, hydrotalcite/hydrotalcite-2H, szaibelyite and hematite crystals. Dypingite occurs as a thin cover on serpentine. It is of late secondary origin, deposited from cold, leaching solutions. It forms white globular aggregates, averaging 0.3 mm in size, with radiating structure, resembling hydromagnesite and associated with hydrotalcite and magnesite (AM 55.1457-1465, Mindat, HOM).

At the Alston Moor District, Cumbria, England, UK, the rare basic hydrated magnesium carbonate minerals hydromagnesite and dypingite are reported from low temperature hydrothermal lead-zinc deposits. Both minerals occur as very late stage constituents of deposits rich in barium carbonates (Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 56.2.151–154).

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