THE MINERAL GRAEMITE

• Chemistry: CuTeO₃ - H₂O, Hydrated Copper Tellurite
• Class: Sulfates
• Subclass: Tellurates
• Uses: Only as mineral specimens.
• Specimens

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Graemite is a very rare tellurium mineral. Its type locality is the Cole Shaft, Bisbee, Arizona. Graemite joins a list of special minerals that were first discovered from this great mineral locality. Other type minerals from Bisbee include henryite, kiddcreekite, spangolite, teineite, shattuckite, paramelaconite and chalcoalumite among many others. But of course Bisbee is world reknown for colorful copper minerals especially malachite and azurite. Graemite although quite rare is also colorful and is associated with other colorful minerals such as cuprite, malachite, goethite, gypsum, quartz and tourmaline. Graemite is a secondary mineral that is often seen replacing the closely related tellurite teineite, CuTeO₃ - 2H₂O. Graemite has a nice green to greenish-blue color with a vitreous luster and forms nice prismatic striated crystals. The mines at Bisbee are closed now making specimens of graemite all the more valuable. Graemite is also found at the mines of Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico, The Moctezuma Mines are a famous site for rare telllurium minerals.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• Color is green to blue-green.
• Luster is vitreous.
• Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
• Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m.
• Crystal Habits include prismatic deeply grooved crystals.
• Cleavage is good in one direction (prismatic).
• Hardness is 3 - 3.5.
• Specific Gravity is approximately 4.1 (heavier than average for translucent minerals).
• Streak is pale green.
• Other Characteristics: Specimens are usually striated.
• Associated Minerals include cuprite, malachite, teineite, goethite, gypsum, quartz and tourmaline.
• Notable Occurrences are limited to the type locality of the Cole Shaft near Bisbee, Arizona, USA. Other localities include the Dome Rock Mountains in La Paz County, Arizona and Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico.
• Best Field Indicators are locality, color, density, associations and cleavage.