Nickelboussingaultite

nickelboussingaultite

pentlandite

chalcopyrite

limonite

Images

Formula: (NH4)2Ni(SO4)2.6H2O
Hydrated normal sulphate, picromerite group, nickel-bearing mineral
Crystal System: Monoclinic
Specific gravity: 1.85 calculated
Hardness: 2½
Colour: Greenish blue to emerald-green
Solubility: Readily soluble in water
Environments

Hydrothermal environments

Localities

At the type locality, the Talnakh Cu-Ni deposit, Noril'sk, Putoran Plateau, Taimyr Peninsula, Taymyrskiy Autonomous Okrug, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, nickelboussingaultite forms greenish-blue (like chrysocolla) films resembling sinter (a hard incrustation on rocks or on the ground by precipitation from hot or cold mineral waters) on pentlandite-chalcopyrite ore. It is found in underground works, where this ore was first oxidised to limonite, upon which the nickelboussingaultite was deposited. It is developed mostly near old wooden timbers and locally has spread onto these (AM 71.1545). Associated minerals include pentlandite, chalcopyrite and limonite (Mindat).

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