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Gerhardtite

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Great Australia Mine, Cloncurry, Cloncurry District, Mt Isa - Cloncurry area, Queensland, Australia
© Judy Rowe

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Formula:
Cu
 
2
[(OH)
 
3
|NO
 
3
]
System:OrthorhombicColour:Emerald Green
Hardness:2
Name:
After Charles Gerhardt (1816-1856), a french chemist who first prepared the artificial compound.
Dimorph of:Rouaite


An uncommon secondary copper nitrate.

Easy to confused with its dimorph rouaite (both have very similar X-ray powder diffraction patterns).

Classification of Gerhardtite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:5/A.03-10
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:5.NB.05

5 : CARBONATES (NITRATES)
N : NITRATES
B : With OH
Dana 7th edition ID:19.1.1.1
Dana 8th edition ID:19.1.1.1

19 : NITRATES CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
1 : Anhydrous Nitrates Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen
Hey's CIM Ref.:13.3

13 : Nitrates
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Type Occurrence of Gerhardtite

Type Locality:United Verde Mine (The Big Hole; Big Hole property; Hull Mine; Hopewell tunnel; Patented claim 3480; Patented claim 2812; Patented claims 3348), Jerome, Verde District, Black Hills (Black Hill Range), Yavapai Co., Arizona, USA
Place of Conservation of Type Material:Yale University
Year of Discovery:1885

Occurrences of Gerhardtite

Geological Setting:Oxidation zone of copper deposits

Physical Properties of Gerhardtite

Lustre:Vitreous
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Transparent
Colour:Emerald Green
Streak:Light green
Hardness (Mohs):2
Tenacity:Flexible
Cleavage:Perfect
On {001} perfect; on {100} good.
Density (measured):3.4 - 3.43 g/cm3
Density (calculated):3.389 g/cm3

Crystallography of Gerhardtite

Crystal System:Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):2 2 2 - Disphenoidal
Space Group:P21 21 21
Cell Parameters:a = 6.087(2) Å, b = 13.813(4) Å, c = 5.597(2) Å
Ratio:a:b:c = 0.441 : 1 : 0.405
Unit Cell Volume:V 470.59 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:4
Morphology:Crystals thick tabular {001}. Strongly striated on the pyramid zone. Faces often in oscillatory combination. Crystals flexible, with separation along {100}.

Optical Data of Gerhardtite

Type:Biaxial (+)
RI values: nα = 1.703 nβ = 1.713 nγ = 1.722
2V:Measured: 85° , Calculated: 86°
Maximum Birefringence:δ = 0.019

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:High
Dispersion:r < v very strong
Pleochroism:Visible
Comments:X = Green
Y = Green
Z = Blue

Chemical Properties of Gerhardtite

Formula:
Cu
 
2
[(OH)
 
3
|NO
 
3
]
Essential elements:Cu, H, N, O
All elements listed in formula:Cu, H, N, O

Relationship of Gerhardtite to other Species

Common Associates:
Cuprite
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
5.NB.05Rouaite
Cu
 
2
[(OH)
 
3
|NO
 
3
]
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
13.1Nitratine
NaNO
 
3
13.2Niter
KNO
 
3
13.4Nitromagnesite
Mg(NO
 
3
)
 
2
·6H
 
2
O
13.5Nitrocalcite
Ca(NO
 
3
)
 
2
·4H
 
2
O
13.6Nitrobarite
Ba(NO
 
3
)
 
2
13.7Buttgenbachite
Cu
 
19
[(OH)
 
32
|(NO
 
3
)
 
2
|Cl
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
13.8Sveite
KAl
 
7
[Cl|(OH)
 
8
|(NO
 
3
)
 
2
]
 
2
 · 8H
 
2
O
13.9Darapskite
Na
 
3
NO
 
3
SO
 
4
·H
 
2
O
13.10Humberstonite
Na
 
7
K
 
3
Mg
 
2
(SO
 
4
)
 
6
(NO
 
3
)
 
2
·6H
 
2
O
13.11Mbobomkulite
(Ni,Cu)Al
 
4
[(OH)
 
12
|{(NO
 
3
)
 
2
,SO
 
4
}] · 3H
 
2
O
13.12Hydrombobomkulite
(Ni,Cu)Al
 
4
[(OH)
 
12
|{(NO
 
3
)
 
2
,SO
 
4
}] · 13-14H
 
2
O
13.13Nickelalumite
(Ni,Cu)Al
 
4
[(OH)
 
12
|{SO
 
4
,(NO
 
3
)
 
2
}] · 3H
 
2
O

Other Names for Gerhardtite

Other Languages:
German:Gerhardtit
Russian:Герхардтит
Spanish:Gerhardtita

Other Information

Other Information:Insoluble in water. Soluble in dilute acids.
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 Gerhardtite

Reference List:Wells and Penfield (1885) American Journal of Science: 30: 50.

Lindgren and Hillebrand (1904) American Journal of Science: 18: 448.

Thoreau (1923) Société géologique de Belgique, Liége, Annales: 46: B 285.

Larsen, E.S. and Berman, H. (1934) The Microscopic Determination of the Nonopaque Minerals, Second edition, USGS Bulletin 848: 129, 190.

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: 308-309.

Zeitschrift für Kristallographie: 116: 210-219.

Helv. Chim. Acta: 35: 375-390.

Internet Links for Gerhardtite

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    Localities for Gerhardtite

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