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Formula: Ca(C2O4).2H2O
Organic compound, oxalate
Specific gravity: 1.94
Hardness: 4
Streak: White
Colour: Colourless, white, yellowish brown to brown, colourless in transmitted light
Solubility: Insoluble in water
Environments
Sedimentary environments
Hydrothermal environments
Whewellite and weddellite are hydrated oxalates of calcium, found
naturally in plant tissues, in sediments as a mineral of organic origin, and in urinary stones. About 70 percent of
human urinary stones contain whewellite and/or weddellite
(AM 65.327-334).
Weddellite is authigenic (formed in place) in bottom muds and in peat sediments, in calcareous lake-bottom
sediments and it may be formed by reaction of calcite with oxalic acid produced
by lichens. Associated minerals include whewellite,
urea, phosphammite and
aphthitalite from bat guano
(HOM). It is also formed by lichens living on basalt,
serpentinites, copper-bearing
rocks, gabbros, dolerites,
andesites and volcanic clasts, and it may occur in coral reefs.
It dehydrates to whewellite upon exposure to air
(Mindat).
Localities
At the type locality, the Weddell Sea, Western Antarctica, Antarctica, weddellite occurs as tiny isolated
crystals in bottom muds of the arctic sea
(Mindat).
At the Moore Lake occurrence, Lutterworth Township, Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada, weddellite has been
found as snow-white spherical aggregates up to 0.5 mm in diameter with altered
amphibole and mica on
marble. Oxalic acid produced by lichens presumably reacted with
calcite to form the weddellite
(CM 21.509-511).
At Milltown Quarry, Milltown, Ashover, North East Derbyshire District, Derbyshire, England, UK, a weddellite
crystal 0.3 mm across has been found perched on the edge of a fluorite crystal
(RES p104-105).
At Biggs, Sherman county, Oregon, USA, weddellite occurs in nodules of chalcedony variety
jasper found in lake-bottom sediments associated with flows of the
Columbia River basalt plateau. Fish scales and bones were found in several
of the jasper nodules. These and other organic material in the sediments
probably provided the calcium and the oxalic acid necessary for the formation of the weddellite.
Whewellite pseudomorphs
after weddellite have been found here. A thin section of the jasper
showed that this host material for the weddellite, whewellite and
quartz is made up of very small grains of
quartz
(CM 21.503-508).
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