Hemimorphite

Formula: Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O

Species: Silicates – (Sorosilicates)

Colour: Colorless, white, pale blue, pale green, gray, brown

Lustre: Sub-Adamantine, Vitreous, Sub-Vitreous, Greasy, Silky, Pearly

Hardness: 4½ – 5

Specific Gravity: 3.475

Crystal System: Orthorhombic

Name: Named in 1853 by Adolph Kenngott in allusion to the hemimorphic morphology of the crystals. Many names were previously assigned to this species, including calamine. Hemimorphite was chosen by the International Mineralogical Association, over calamine, in 1962.

Type Locality: Băiţa mining district (Băiţa Bihor), Nucet, Bihor County, Romania