smithsonite
Sign in to saveSmithsonite, also known as zinc spar, is the mineral form of zinc carbonate (ZnCO3). Historically, smithsonite was identified with hemimorphite before it was realized that they were two different minerals. The two minerals are very similar in appearance and the term calamine has been used for both, leading to some confusion. The distinct mineral smithsonite was named in 1832 by François Sulpice Beudant in honor of English scientist James Smithson (c. 1765–1829), who first identified the mineral in 1802.
Key facts
- Mineral.name
- Smithsonite
- Mineral.category
- Carbonate mineral
- Mineral.image
- Smithsonite-Willemite-cktsu-23a.jpg
- Mineral.imagesize
- 260px
- Mineral.formula
- ZnCO3
- Mineral.IMAsymbol
- Smt
- Mineral.strunz
- 5.AB.05
- Mineral.system
- Trigonal
- Mineral.class
- Hexagonal scalenohedral (m) H-M symbol: ( 2/m)
- Mineral.symmetry
- Rc
- Mineral.unit cell
- a = 4.6526(7) c = 15.0257(22) [Å]; Z = 6
- Mineral.color
- White, grey, yellow, green to apple-green, blue, pink, purple, bluish grey, and brown
- Mineral.habit
- Uncommon as crystals, typically botryoidal, reniform, spherulitic; stalactitic, earthy, compact massive
- Mineral.twinning
- None observed
- Mineral.cleavage
- Perfect on [1011]
- Mineral.fracture
- Uneven, sub-conchoidal
- Mineral.tenacity
- Brittle
- Mineral.mohs
- 4.5
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Smithsonite - USGS Mineral Specimens 016.jpg
Show 7 more facts
- Commons category
- Smithsonite
- chemical formula
- ZnCO₃
- Nickel-Strunz 9th edition (updated 2009)
- 5.AB.05
- Nickel-Strunz '10th ed', review of (9th ed/ 2009 update)
- 5.AB.05
- Mohs' hardness
- 5
- IMA Mineral Symbol
- Smt
- Strunz 8th edition (series ID, updated)
- Vb/A.02
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Smithsonite, also known as zinc spar, is the mineral form of zinc carbonate (ZnCO3). Historically, smithsonite was identified with hemimorphite before it was realized that they were two different minerals. The two minerals are very similar in appearance and the term calamine has been used for both, leading to some confusion. The distinct mineral smithsonite was named in 1832 by François Sulpice Beudant in honor of English scientist James Smithson (c. 1765–1829), who first identified the mineral in 1802.
Smithsonite is a variably colored trigonal mineral which only rarely is found in well formed crystals. The typical habit is as earthy botryoidal masses. It has a Mohs hardness of 4.5 and a specific gravity of 4.4 to 4.5.