Gilalite is a

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

silicate mineral Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, silica (silicon dioxide, ) is usually consid ...

with chemical composition of Cu₅Si₆O₁₇·7(H₂O). It occurs as a retrograde metamorphic phase in a calc-silicate and sulfide

skarn Skarns or tactites are hard, coarse-grained metamorphic rocks that form by a process called metasomatism. Skarns tend to be rich in calcium-magnesium-iron-manganese-aluminium silicate minerals, which are also referred to as calc-silicate minerals ...

deposit. It occurs as fracture fillings and incrustations associated with

diopside Diopside is a monoclinic pyroxene mineral with composition . It forms complete solid solution series with hedenbergite () and augite, and partial solid solutions with orthopyroxene and pigeonite. It forms variably colored, but typically dull ...

crystals. It is commonly found in the form of spherules of radial fibers. Gilalite-Quartz-d05-97a

It was first described for an occurrence in the Christmas porphyry copper mine in Gila County, Arizona in 1980 along with the mineral apachite.F.P. Cesbron and S.A. Williams; March 1980;"Apachite and gilalite, two new copper silicates from Christmas, Arizona" Mineralogical Magazine, Vol. 43, pp. 639-41 It derives its name from this locality. It has also been reported from the Goodsprings District, Clark County, Nevada; Juazeiro do Norte, Ceara State, Brazil and a slag area in Lavrion District, Attica, Greece.

References

Copper(II) minerals Unclassified silicates Monoclinic minerals {{silicate-mineral-stub