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Formula: Fe3+2(Te4+O3)3.2H2O
Tellurite
Crystal System: Triclinic
Specific gravity: 4.52 to 4.55
Hardness: 5
Colour: Yellowish-green, light yellow-green in transmitted light
Solubility: Readily soluble in strong acids
Environments
Emmonsite is an alteration product formed from earlier tellurium minerals in the
oxide zone of some hydrothermal precious metal deposits.
Associated minerals include tellurium, tellurite,
rodalquiralite, mackayite,
sonoraite, cuzticite,
eztlite, gold and pyrite
(HOM).
Localities
At the Moctezuma Mine, Moctezuma Municipality, Sonora, Mexico, emmonsite was formerly abundant with
schmitterite, cuzticite,
sonoraite and other tellurites as a product of the oxidation of a
tellurium - pyrite ore body
(Dana).
Emmonsite occurs as yellowish to dark green crusts, rosettes and sprays of curved hairlike crystals up to
5 mm long showing a vitreous lustre. Associations include most of the other
secondary
tellurium minerals
(Minrec 55.6.841-842).
Emmonsite from Moctezuma - Image
At the type locality, Tombstone, Tombstone Mining District, Cochise County, Arizona, USA, emmonsite is
associated with
cerussite
(Mindat).
Emmonsite from Tombstone - Image
At the Good Hope mine, Vulcan, Gunnison county, Colorado, USA, emmonsite occurs with sonoraite,
rickardite and weissite
(Dana).
At the Cripple Creek Mining District, Teller county, Colorado, USA, emmonsite occurs with native gold,
tellurite and partially oxidisd calaverite
(Minrec 36.2.169).
Emmonsite from Cripple Creek - Image
At Goldfield, Goldfield Mining District, Esmeralda county, Nevada, USA, emmonsite occurs with
mackayite
(Dana).
Emmonsite from Goldfield - Image
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