HYDROZINCITE
Specimen hyd-1

Dims: 3-1/2" x 2-1/8" x 1-5/8"

Wt: 3.5 oz

Yellow Pine Mine, Goodsprings, Clark County, Nevada, U.S.A.

I have not seen any specimens of Hydrozincite before this one, so I cannot base my judgement of this specimen's quality on any previous knowledge. However, every book that I have looked into says that Hydrozincite crystals are rare, and that's what this specimen has a lot of! The crystals are very small, measuring 2 mm at most, and are basically colorless, taking on the white color of the massive Hydrozincite matrix. Simply put, the beds of this mineral are pure white, fuzzy-looking, and sparkly. They're really beautiful, and will make an uncommon addition to any collection.

Dims: 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" x 1-7/8"

Wt: 4 oz

Yellow Pine Mine, Goodsprings, Clark County, Nevada, U.S.A.

I don't know too much about this mineral, except that it is a hydrous zinc carbonate that rarely forms crystals, which is what this specimen is laden with. These crystals are extremely small, and can only be seen individually under 15x or more magnification. They are colorless, and rest on a pure white matrix of the same material in its massive form. There are other smatterings of minerals in this matrix that I can't identify, and maybe a tiny amount of dendritic formation. This is quite an attractive specimen of a rare formation.

Dims: 3.2 x 1.7 x 1.3" (8.1 x 4.3 x 3.3 cm)

Wt: 4.3 oz. (123.2 g)

Yellow Pine Mine, Goodsprings, Clark County, Nevada, U.S.A.

This small hand specimen consists of a few small crusts of intergrown Hydrozincite needles that cover a portion of the chalky, peach-colored host rock. These needles do not exceed 0.2" (5 mm) in length, and are all thinner than human hair. They appear to be in reasonably good condition, as only a small portion is visibly crushed. All have a pure white coloration and posses glimpses of a pearly or vitreous luster shining off of their faces. The crystals are so thin that effective study of their form is impossible without high magnification. Accompanying the crystal beds are crusts of massive hydrozincite that have the same white color but a completely dull, matte luster. I am unsure as to the composition of the base rock, but I would imagine that it would be closely related.

Dims: 4.5 x 4.3 x 1.9" (11.4 x 10.9 x 4.8 cm)

Wt: 1 lb., 4.7 oz. (587.0 g)

Yellow Pine Mine, Goodsprings, Clark County, Nevada, U.S.A.

This large hand specimen consists mostly of Hydrozincite by weight- it consists of many folded, warped layers of the mineral that are compacted together. There are several hollows and pits that extend a short depth into the specimen, and these are lined with fine druses of tiny Hydrozincite crystals. These crystals are generally in very good condition due to their protective environment, and do not exceed 0.1" (3 mm) in length. They are too small for one to effectively study their form without considerable magnification, but they appear to have a reasonably good form. The crystals are colorless and have a bright pearly luster, whereas the massive Hydrozincite is dull and has a bright white coloration. There is a small amount of a dull brown host rock attached to the Hydrozincite- it looks like a conglomerate of some sort, as there are many small, irregular bits of material trapped in it. However, there are a few hollows that extend into it, too, and these are also lined with colorless crystals.

Dims: 4.0 x 2.3 x 1.5" (10.2 x 5.8 x 3.8 cm)

Wt: 9.87 oz. (279.7 g)

Evelyn Mine, Northern Territories, Australia

Many small crusts and clusters of fine Hydrozincite crystals partly coat the brown base of this specimen. These clusters are in good to fair condition and each consists of countless tiny Hydrozincite needles. None of these needles appears to exceed 0.1" (3 mm) in length, and each is at least as thin as a human hair. Their monoclinic form is probably good. Individual crystals are likely colorless and transparent, but the clusters are white in color and translucent at best. The brown host rock is likely made up of limestone, calcite, or another carbonate.

Dims: 2.7 x 2.5 x 1.9" (6.9 x 6.4 x 4.9 cm)

Wt: 5.1 oz. (145 g)

Evelyn Mine, Northern Territories, Australia

Dozens of clusters of acicular, radiating Hydrozincite needles rest on the brown base of this cabinet specimen. The crystals within these clusters are generally in very good condition and do not exceed 0.1" (3 mm) in length. They are too fine to effectively study even with a loupe, but likely have excellent monoclinic form. Their color is white and their luster appears to be pearly. Individual crystals are likely colorless and transparent, however. The base rock may well contain some brown smithsonite or limonite.

Dims: 4.25x2.87x2.09" (10.8x7.3x5.3cm)

Wt: 15.1oz. (428g)

Hildaco County, New Mexico, USA

This is a large hand specimen of hydrozincite, most or all of which is massive (non-crystalline) and white, with a layered appearance. There are veins of darker material, plus transparent colorless crystals (acicular in the dark matrix, bladed on the exposed surface). These crystals might be more hydrozincite (in the rare crystalline form), but I don't believe so, because under short-wave ultraviolet light, all of the white material fluoresces a bright blue, while the tiny transparent crystals do not fluoresce at all.

Dims: 2.98x2.88x1.37" (7.58x7.32x3.47cm)

Wt: 6.70oz (189.6g)

Hildaco County, New Mexico, USA

This hydrozincite specimen looks like a non-descript chunk of white rock, rather like limestone but with too little heft. Under short-wave UV, however, the hydrozincite really shows its stuff. It glows a bright light blue, with some areas brighter than others (likely indicating the purity of the mineral). On one side of the specimen are a few areas of transparent crystals, and they do not fluoresce so they must not be hydrozincite. Their color is a pale yellow, they have a dull luster, and their form is distorted enough that I cannot identify the mineral.

Dims: 3.44x2.39x1.37" (8.74x6.06x3.48cm)

Wt: 4.93oz (139.5g)

Hildaco County, New Mexico, USA

This specimen appears to be a rather plain chalky-white rock with a black crust at one end (which has hundreds of tiny cerussite crystals). Under short-wave ultraviolet light, the plain white "chalk" glows a bright blue-white, showing that this is hydrozincite. There are other minerals present, and the hydrozincite is rather impure, resulting in differences in brightness. The fluorescent image is too blue - the visual appearance is nearly white.