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Tarbuttite

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Kabwe Mine (Broken Hill Mine), Kabwe (Broken Hill), Central Province, Zambia
© Elmar Lackner

Show Tarbuttite Photos (62)



Formula:
Zn
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
System:TriclinicColour:White, colourless, ...
Lustre:Vitreous, PearlyHardness:3½
Member of:Olivenite Group
Name:Named after Percy Coventry Tarbutt, a Director of the Broken Hill Exploration Company who collected some of the first specimens at Broken Hill (now Kabwe), Zambia.


Olivenite Group.

A rare secondary zinc phosphate. An orthorhombic (libethenite-type) polymorph is known.

Classification of Tarbuttite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:7/B.06-50
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:8.BB.35

8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without H2O
B : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 about 1:1
Dana 8th edition ID:41.6.7.1

41 : ANHYDROUS PHOSPHATES, ETC.CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
6 : A2(XO4)Zq
Hey's CIM Ref.:19.6.1

19 : Phosphates
6 : Phosphates of Zn
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Type Occurrence of Tarbuttite

Type Locality:Kabwe Mine (Broken Hill Mine), Kabwe (Broken Hill), Central Province, Zambia
Year of Discovery:1907
Geological Setting of type material:Upper portion of the oxidation zone where phosphatic solutions reacted with earlier formed hemimorphite and cerussite.
Associated Minerals at type locality:
VanadiniteSmithsonitePyromorphiteLimoniteHopeite
HemimorphiteDescloiziteCerussite

Physical Properties of Tarbuttite

Lustre:Vitreous, Pearly
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Transparent, Translucent
Comment:Lustre pearly on the cleavage surfaces.
Colour:White, colourless, yellow, red green or brown; colourless in transmitted light.
Streak:White
Hardness (Mohs):3½
Cleavage:Perfect
On {010}, perfect.
Fracture:Irregular/Uneven
Density (measured):4.12 g/cm3
Density (calculated):4.19 g/cm3

Crystallography of Tarbuttite

Crystal System:Triclinic
Class (H-M):1 - Pinacoidal
Space Group:P1
Cell Parameters:a = 5.55Å, b = 5.7Å, c = 6.47Å
α = 102.68°, β = 102.81°, γ = 86.88°
Ratio:a:b:c = 0.974 : 1 : 1.135
Unit Cell Volume:V 194.71 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:8
Morphology:Crystals equant to short prismatic [001]. Commonly found as sheaf-like aggregates or as crusts. Individual crystals commonly rounded and deeply striated.
X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
Image Loading

Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Horizontal Axis: ° to ° Vertical Axis: % Source Data: Filtered Data:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Optical Data of Tarbuttite

Type:Biaxial (-)
RI values: nα = 1.660 nβ = 1.705 nγ = 1.713
2V:Measured: 50°
Maximum Birefringence:δ = 0.053

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:High
Dispersion:weak

Chemical Properties of Tarbuttite

Formula:
Zn
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
Essential elements:H, O, P, Zn
All elements listed in formula:H, O, P, Zn

Relationship of Tarbuttite to other Species

Member of:Olivenite Group
Other Members of Group:

- +
Adamite
Zn
 
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
Auriacusite
Fe
3+
 
Cu
2+
 
(AsO
 
4
)O
Eveite
Mn
2+
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
Libethenite
Cu
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
Olivenite
Cu
 
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
Paradamite
Zn
 
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
Zincolivenite
CuZn(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
8.BB.05Amblygonite
LiAl(PO
 
4
)F
8.BB.05Montebrasite
LiAl(PO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.05Tavorite
LiFe
3+
 
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.10Triplite
(Mn
2+
 
,Fe
2+
 
)
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(F,OH)
8.BB.10Zwieselite
Fe
2+
 
Mn
2+
 
(PO
 
4
)F
8.BB.15Sarkinite
Mn
2+
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.15Triploidite
(Mn
2+
 
,Fe
2+
 
)
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.15Wagnerite
(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)
 
2
(PO
 
4
)F
8.BB.15Wolfeite
(Fe
2+
 
,Mn
2+
 
)
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.15Stanĕkite
Fe
3+
 
(Mn
2+
 
,Fe
2+
 
,Mg)(PO
 
4
)O
8.BB.15Joosteite
Mn
2+
 
(Mn
3+
 
,Fe
3+
 
)(PO
 
4
)O
8.BB.15Hydroxylwagnerite
Mg
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.20Holtedahlite
Mg
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.20Satterlyite
(Fe
2+
 
,Mg,Fe
3+
 
)
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH,O)
8.BB.25Althausite
Mg
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH,F)
8.BB.30Adamite
Zn
 
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.30Eveite
Mn
2+
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.30Libethenite
Cu
 
2
(PO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.30Olivenite
Cu
 
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.30Zincolibethenite
CuZn(PO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.30Zincolivenite
CuZn(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.30Auriacusite
Fe
3+
 
Cu
2+
 
(AsO
 
4
)O
8.BB.35Paradamite
Zn
 
2
(AsO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.40Barbosalite
Fe
2+
 
Fe
3+
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
8.BB.40Hentschelite
CuFe
3+
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
8.BB.40Lazulite
(Mg,Fe
2+
 
)Al
 
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
8.BB.40Scorzalite
Fe
2+
 
Al
 
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
8.BB.40Wilhelmkleinite
ZnFe
3+
2
(AsO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
8.BB.45Trolleite
Al
 
4
(PO
 
4
)
 
3
(OH)
 
3
8.BB.50Namibite
Cu(BiO)
 
2
(VO
 
4
)(OH)
8.BB.55Phosphoellenbergerite
Mg
 
14
(PO
 
4
)
 
6
(HPO
 
4
,CO
 
3
)
 
2
(OH)
 
6
8.BB.60Urusovite
CuAl(AsO
 
4
)O
8.BB.65Theoparacelsite
Cu
 
3
(As
 
2
O
 
7
)(OH)
 
2
8.BB.70Turanite
Cu
 
5
(VO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
8.BB.75Stoiberite
Cu
 
5
(VO
 
4
)
 
2
O
 
2
8.BB.80Fingerite
Cu
 
11
(VO
 
4
)
 
6
O
 
2
8.BB.85Averievite
Cu
 
6
(VO
 
4
)
 
2
O
 
2
Cl
 
2
8.BB.90Lipscombite
(Fe
2+
 
,Mn
2+
 
)Fe
3+
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
8.BB.90Richellite
CaFe
3+
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH,F)
 
2
8.BB.90Zinclipscombite
ZnFe
3+
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
19.6.2Spencerite
Zn
 
4
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
2
 · 3H
 
2
O
19.6.3Hopeite
Zn
 
3
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
 · 4H
 
2
O
19.6.4Parahopeite
Zn
 
3
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
 · 4H
 
2
O
19.6.5Veszelyite
(Cu,Zn)
 
2
Zn(PO
 
4
)
 
2
 · 2H
 
2
O
19.6.6Kipushite
(Cu,Zn)
 
5
Zn(PO
 
4
)
 
2
(OH)
 
6
 · H
 
2
O
19.6.7Scholzite
CaZn
 
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
 · 2H
 
2
O
19.6.8Parascholzite
CaZn
 
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
2
 · 2H
 
2
O
19.6.9Ehrleite
Ca
 
4
Be
 
3
Zn
 
2
(PO
 
4
)
 
6
 · 9H
 
2
O
19.6.10Faustite
(Zn,Cu)Al
 
6
(PO
 
4
)
 
4
(OH)
 
8
 · 4H
 
2
O
19.6.11Aheylite
(Fe
2+
 
,Zn)Al
 
6
(PO
 
4
)
 
4
(OH)
 
8
 · 4H
 
2
O
19.6.12Jungite
Ca
 
2
Zn
 
4
Fe
3+
8
(PO
 
4
)
 
9
(OH)
 
9
 · 16H
 
2
O
19.6.13Schoonerite
ZnMn
2+
 
Fe
2+
2
Fe
3+
 
(PO
 
4
)
 
3
(OH)
 
2
 · 9H
 
2
O
19.6.14Phosphophyllite
Zn
 
2
Fe(PO
 
4
)
 
2
 · 4H
 
2
O

Other Names for Tarbuttite

Other Languages:
German:Tarbuttit
Russian:Тарбуттит
Spanish:Tarbuttita

Other Information

Other Information:May form pseudomorphs after smithsonite, descloizite and possibly also hemimorphite. May alter to parahopeite.
Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

References for Tarbuttite

Reference List:

- +
Spencer (1907) Nature: 7: 215.

Spencer (1908) Mineralogical Magazine (1908): 15: 22.

Rosický (1913) Bull. Ac. Sc. Bohême: 18: no. 35.

Larsen, E.S. (1921) The Microscopic Determination of the Nonopaque Minerals, First edition, USGS Bulletin 679: 141.

Buttgenbach and Mélon (1931) Ac. Roy. Belgique, Bull., Cl. sc.: [5]: 17: 892.

Richmond (1938) American Mineralogist: 23: 881.

Richmond (1940) American Mineralogist: 25: 475.

Palache, C., Berman, H., & Frondel, C. (1951), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana, Yale University 1837-1892, Volume II. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 7th edition, revised and enlarged, 1124 pp.: 869-871.

Fanfani L., Zanazzi P.F. (1965), Dati strutturali sulla tarbuttite. Periodico di Mineralogia – Roma, 539-545.

American Mineralogist (1966): 51: 1218-1220.

Zeitschrift für Kristallographie: 123: 321-329.

Internet Links for Tarbuttite

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  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
  • Tarbuttite details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
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    • Localities for Tarbuttite

    The map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
    Hide Locality List
    (TL) indicates type locality. ? indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality. All other localities listed without reference should be considered as uncertain and unproven until references can be found.
    Australia
     
    • New South Wales
      • Yancowinna Co.
        • Broken Hill
    		Australian Min. 3:1 (1997)
    Australian Min. 3:1 (1997)
    • South Australia
      • Flinders Ranges
        • South Flinders Ranges
          • Martins Well
    		Johnston, C.W . & Hill, R.J. (1978): Zinc phosphates at Reaphook Hill South Australia. Mineralogical Record 9,(1), 20-24
    Namibia
     
    • Karas Region
      • Lüderitz District
        • Rosh Pinah
    		Borg, G., Karner, K., Buxton, M., Armstrong, R., Schalk van der Merwe, W. (2003): Geology of the Skorpion supergene zinc deposit, southern Namibia. Economic Geology, 98, 749-771.; Jahn, S. (2007): Tarbuttit von der Skorpion Zink Mine, Namibia. Mineralien-Welt 18 (4), 56-66. (in German)
    USA
     
    • Colorado
      • Lake Co.
        • Leadville District
          • Leadville
            • Iowa Gulch
    		Minerals of Colorado (1997) E.B. Eckels
    Zambia
     
    • Central Province
      • Kabwe (Broken Hill)
    		Nature (1907) 76, 215; Palache, C., Berman, H., & Frondel, C. (1951), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana, Yale University 1837-1892, Volume II: 734, 736, 870.
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