Shattuckite

Shattuckit is a rarely occurring mineral from the mineral class of " silicates and Germanates ". It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with the chemical composition Cu5 [ OH | Si2O6 ] 2, and is therefore a copper - silicate with additional hydroxide, structurally is one of the chain silicates.

Shattuckit developed predominantly fine noble to fibrous crystals in radialstrahligen and racemose or massive mineral aggregates of medium to dark blue color with light blue stroke color. Also pseudomorphs after malachite are known.

Etymology and history

Shattuckit was first discovered in the " Shattuck Mine" in Bisbee (Arizona ) in the U.S. and described by Waldemar Theodore Schaller, who named the mineral after the type locality.

Classification

Already in the outdated, but partly still in use 8th edition of the mineral classification by Strunz was one of Shattuckit to the mineral class of " silicates and Germanates " and then to the Department of " chain silicates and phyllosilicates ( inosilicates ) " where he was the only member of the unnamed group VIII / F.04 formed.

The 9th edition valid since 2001 and of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) used the Strunz'schen Mineral classification assigns the Shattuckit also included in the department's " chain and chain silicates ( inosilicates ) ". However, this is further divided according to the structure of the chains, so that the mineral according to its construction in the subdivision of " chains and chain silicates with 2- periodic single chains Si2O6; with additional O, OH, H2O to find related pyroxene minerals ", where it also forms the unnamed group 9.DB.40 the only member.

The classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the Shattuckit in the class of " silicates and Germanates " and there in the department of " chain silicate minerals " one. Here he is the only member of the unnamed group 65.01.07 within the sub-division of " chain silicates: Simple unbranched chains, W = 1 with chains P = 2" to find.

Education and Locations

Shattuckit forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidation zone of copper deposits and is found there, usually associated with Ajoit, chrysocolla, hematite, malachite and / or quartz.

A rare mineral formation Shattuckit could be detected only in a few localities, where so far (as of 2011) are considered to be known about 70 localities. In Germany the mineral previously occurred only on Helgoland Helgoland on rocky intertidal and the Long and Anna in Austria Shattuckit found so far only in the copper mine " Divine Providence " to the members of the Goldberg group Großfragant in Carinthia.

Other localities lie among others in Argentina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Slovakia, South Africa, England in the United Kingdom ( UK) as well as in several regions in the United States of America (USA).

Crystal structure

Shattuckit crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group PCAB ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 61) with the lattice parameters a = 9.89 Å; b = 19.83 Å and c = 5.38 Å and four formula units per unit cell.