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Formula: ZnFe3+4(SO4)6(OH)2.20H2O
Hydrated sulphate of zinc and iron,
copiapite group
Crystal system: Triclinic
Specific gravity: 2.181 measured, 2.15 calculated
Hardness: 2
Colour: Yellowish green, canary-yellow
Environments
Metamorphic environments
Hydrothermal environments
Hot springs
Localities
At the type locality, the Xitieshan Mine, Xitieshan, Da Qaidam, Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,
Qinghai, China, zincocopiapite is a rare secondary
mineral formed in the oxidation zone of the
lead-zinc deposit in the very arid climate.
Associated minerals include copiapite,
halotrichite, coquimbite,
römerite, sideronatrite and
melanterite
(HOM).
At Les Valettes, Mont Chemin mining district, Martigny, Valais, Switzerland, zincocopiapite occurs in
schist as an alteration product of
pyrite and sphalerite. Associated
minerals include boyleite,
gunningite, coquimbite,
jarosite, melanterite,
römerite, siderotil,
voltaite, chalcanthite,
hexahydrite and gypsum
(HOM).
Zincocopiapite from Les Valettes -
Image
At the Köpet-Dag Range, Cheleken Peninsula, Balkan Region, Turkmenistan, zincocopiapite occurs as a precipitate
from thermal hot springs, associated with sulphur,
gypsum, calcite,
pyrite, sphalerite,
quartz and limonite
(HOM).
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