Mineralpedia Details for Adamite
Named to honor French mineralogist Gilbert-Joseph Adam who supplied the first samples. Adamite is an uncommon secondary mineral that can be found in oxidized zinc and arsenic bearing hydrothermal deposits. Well studied material and fine specimens come from localities in Chile, Mexico, the United States, France, Germany, England, Greece, Namibia, and Australia. Adamite can fluoresce and phosphoresce a lemon-yellow under long- and short-wave ultraviolet light. Often as formless glassy crystalline crusts in zinc rich load deposits with slight yellow tinge. Typically translucent, vitreous or glassy yellow to yellowish green fanlike crystals (Mina Ojuela). Colored by impurities, especially Copper, when green or Manganese when purple.
Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/adamite.pdf
- Crystal System
- Crystal Habit
- Tabular, Druse, Encrustations
- One Good
- Vitreous - Resinous
- yellow, green, violet, pink, yellowish green
- Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal
- View Adamite
- View Adamite
Adamite from Mina Ojuela, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico
Very lustrous, large, lime green to clear-white, translucent crystals to 1cm covering a large pocket in limonitic matrix.
1cm fan-like crystals.
1cm crystal aggregate.
Adamite from Verkhnii mine, Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia
Deep green Adamite "balls" to 3mm in vuggy limonitic matrix
Adamite from San Rafael mine, Nye Co., Nevada, United States
Well-formed, curved, deep green cuprian Adamite crystals to 2mm.
Adamite from Silver Coin mine, Humboldt Co., Nevada, United States
Light bluish green bow-tie aggregates of prismatic crystals to 1mm.
Adamite from El Refugio Mine, Galena, Lawrence Co., South Dakota, United States
Aqua, fanlike adamite crystal clusters up to 1mm in a small vug approximately 1 cm across.
Adamite from Tsumeb mine, Tsumeb, Namibia
Deep emerald green crystals to 1mm and copper rich deep emerald green crystals to 5mm.
Adamite from Gold Hill mine, Tooele Co., Utah, United States
Deep green balls of Adamite to 1mm throughout limonite matrix.