smithsonite
- Scope note
- Hard, dense, often shiny, mineral composed of zinc carbonate. Smithsonite was the principal source for zinc prior to 1880. It has been found in Greece, Germany, Austria, Poland, Italy, Rhodesia, and the United States. Smithsonite can be white, gray, green, blue, yellow, purple, pink, or brown. It occurs as a secondary mineral in the oxidized zones of hydrothermal ore deposits. Formerly confused with hemimorphite, and both were called calamine; see "calamine(mineral admixture)."
- Date of creation: 18-Nov-2024
Accepted term: 18-Nov-2024