Adamite - Definition and Overview

This article is about the mineral, for the religious sect see Adamites.

Adamite is a zinc arsenate hydroxide mineral, Zn₂AsO₄OH. It is a mineral that typically occurs in the oxidized or weathered zone above zinc ore occurrences. Adamite is usually yellow in color, but tints of green occur due to inclusion of copper substitutions in the mineral structure. Olivinite is a copper arsenate that is isostructural with adamite and there is considerable substitution between zinc and copper resulting in an intermediate called cuproadamite. Manganese, cobalt, and nickel also substitute in the structure. An analogous zinc phosphate, tarbuttite, is known.

The yellow to bright lime-green colored crystals and druze along with its distinctive fluorescence make adamite a favorite among mineral collectors. Found in Mapimi, Mexico; Greece; and California and Utah in the United States.

Adamite was named after the French mineralogist Gilbert Joseph Adam (1795-1881). The type locality is in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

References

• Mindat.org (http://www.mindat.org/min-21.html)
• Webmineral.com (http://webmineral.com/data/Adamite.shtml)
• Mineral galleries (http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/phosphat/adamite/adamite.htm)