| Adamite:
Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates
(Basic arsenate of zinc; some copper may be present) Zn2(AsO4)(OH) AKA: |
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System: Orthorhombic; usually prismatic or horizontally elongated; often as drusy crusts or aggregates. Appearance: Light yellow, honey-yellow, brownish yellow, pale green, yellowish green, rarely colorless; vitreous; streak white to pale greenish. Physical properties: Hardness: (3.5), Specific gravity: (4.32 - 4.48), Cleavage: Good in one direction, poor in second direction; fracture uneven; transparent to translucent; fluoresces yellow-green. Similar species: Smithsonite does not fluoresce as does adamite. Occurrence: Adamite is usually found with limonite and calcite in the so-called oxidized zone of lode hydrothermal replacement deposits. Superb crystals from France, and several localities in North America have yielded excellent specimens. Miscellaneous: The name is after Gilbert-Joseph Adam (1795-1881), French mineralogist. It is not a gemstone because it is insufficiently hard, so it is considered a fairly rare mineral. Conventional Wisdom: Provides inner strength when dealing with emotional issues, and helps one to vocalize personal sentiments. Brings gifts of heart and mind together for balance, inner strength, and steering steadily through life. Creativity and entrepreneurial thinking, and new directions for business /personal growth. Blue: Creativity, throat, mouth, ears, breath of life, lymph. Green: Lungs, heart, thymus, endocrine glands. Belongs to the Astrological Sign of Cancer. |