sulfate mineral
The sulfate minerals are a class of minerals that include the sulfate ion () within their structure. The sulfate minerals occur commonly in primary evaporite depositional environments, as gangue minerals in hydrothermal veins and as secondary mine ...
composed primarily of
hydrous
In chemistry, a hydrate is a substance that contains water or its constituent elements. The chemical state of the water varies widely between different classes of hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understo ...
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable iso ...
sulfate
The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ar ...
chloride
The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride salts ...
hydroxide
Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water. I ...
with formula: NaZn4(SO4)(OH)6Cl·6H2O. It was named for the discovery location in the
Sierra Gorda
The Sierra Gorda () is an ecological region centered on the northern third of the Mexican state of Querétaro and extending into the neighboring states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí. Within Querétaro, the ecosystem extends from ...
district of
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. Gordaite forms as tabular
trigonal
In crystallography, the hexagonal crystal family is one of the six crystal families, which includes two crystal systems (hexagonal and trigonal) and two lattice systems (hexagonal and rhombohedral). While commonly confused, the trigonal crysta ...
crystals.
Gordaite first appeared after a research dive in September 1984 from the
Juan de Fuca Ridge
The Juan de Fuca Ridge is a mid-ocean spreading center and divergent plate boundary located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The ridge separates the Pacific Plate to the west and the Juan de Fuca Plate to the east ...
of the northeastern side of the Pacific Ocean. Gordaite was also described from weathered
slag
Slag is a by-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and used metals. Broadly, it can be classified as ferrous (by-products of processing iron and steel), ferroalloy (by-product of ferroalloy production) or non-ferrous/base metals (by-prod ...
deposits as a result of
copper smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ch ...
in
Hettstedt
Hettstedt is a town in Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the Wipper. It consists of Hettstedt proper and the ''Ortschaften'' (municipal divisions) Ritterode and Walbeck.n4Na(OH)6(SO4)Cl•6H2O second occurrence in the Juan de Fuca Ridge, and new data. American Mineralogist 83, pg. 1111-1116. The mineral exhibits a
hexagonal
In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°.
Regular hexagon
A '' regular hexagon'' has ...
shape with clear or white (green if cuprian – Cu2+) crystals ranging from planar to broad habit and has a
point group
In geometry, a point group is a mathematical group of symmetry operations (isometries in a Euclidean space) that have a fixed point in common. The coordinate origin of the Euclidean space is conventionally taken to be a fixed point, and every p ...
of . Gordaite commonly occurs near minerals such as
sphalerite
Sphalerite (sometimes spelled sphaelerite) is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in Sedimentary exhalative deposits, sedimen ...
,
boleite
Boleite is a complex halide mineral with formula: KPb26Ag9Cu24(OH)48Cl62. It was first described in 1891 as an oxychloride mineral. It is an isometric mineral which forms in deep-blue cubes. There are numerous minerals related to boleite, such a ...
and
gypsum
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...
. The most recent finding occurred in the San Francisco mine in Chile where copper-zinc sulfide deposits were found.
Composition
The 1998 Nasdala article examines the ALV 1457-5R sample found on the sea floor of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The sample itself was taken from a sulfide chimney with mass of about 2.5 kg. The chimney was composed of about 98% permeable sulfides and 2% sulfates. The sulfides were primarily composed of iron sulfides such as
pyrite
The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Iron, FeSulfur, S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral.
Pyrite's metallic Luster (mineralogy), lust ...
and
sphalerite
Sphalerite (sometimes spelled sphaelerite) is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in Sedimentary exhalative deposits, sedimen ...
and were present in the core of the chimney. The sulfate portions were found in concentric layers on the outside of the sample, alternating between 4(OH)6(SO4)Cl">n4(OH)6(SO4)Cl and 2O)6">a(H2O)6 interlayers.
''Table 1: Chemical Composition of the Gordaite Mineral''
**(1) San Francisco mine, Chile; by electron microprobe, H2O by CHN analyzer; low analytical total due to loss of H2O during grinding, Na too high due to peak overlaps with Zn; after adjusting Na2O to 5.5% from AA, and partitioning H between H2O and (OH)- according to crystal-structure analysis, corresponds to Na1.54Zn3.39(S04)(OH)6Cl0.95·6H20.
**(2) NaZn4(SO4)(OH)6Cl·6H20.Downs R T (2006) The RRUFF Project: an integrated study of the chemistry, crystallography, Raman and infrared spectroscopy of minerals. Program and Abstracts of the 19th General Meeting of the International Mineralogical Association in Kobe, Japan. O03-13
Table 1 is taken from a study done based on the findings in the San Francisco mine. Section 1 displays the results based from an electron microprobe test which resulted in loss of water. Section 2 displays the normalized results taken from crystal structure analysis.
Recognition of gordaite crystals is problematic due to its association with tabular
baryte
Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate ( Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...
. Based on the findings of the dive at Juan de Fuca Ridge, gordaite was formed due to the ''reaction of discharging hydrothermal fluids with sea water''. The overwhelming presence of baryte crystals confirms the idea that gordaite must be more than a byproduct of
weathering
Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms. Weathering occurs ''in situ'' (on site, with little or no movement), ...
.
Structure
The gordaite mineral from Juan de Fuca has a trigonal crystal structure and its formula is Zn4Na(OH)6(SO4)Cl·6H2O. Utilizing
electron microprobe
An electron microprobe (EMP), also known as an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) or electron micro probe analyzer (EMPA), is an analytical tool used to non-destructively determine the chemical composition of small volumes of solid materials. It ...
analysis to define gordaite’s chemical composition is difficult because of its intricate chemical layering. According to the study done using the Philips XL 30 SEM ( scanning electron microscope), the analysis of sodium could not be completed because the lines of zinc (Zn-Lα) were so intense that they overlapped the Na-K lines. The sample from Germany is a trigonal structure with lattice perimeters: a = 8.364 Å and c = 13.046 Å respectively.
Gordaite contains octahedra with edges that share CDI2 – like sheets and have Zn2+ ions in their centers, where five hydroxide ions coordinate the zinc ions. Throughout the sulfate groups are connected to octahedral sheets. Sodium ions lie between the layers in order to make up for the negative charges and are coordinated by six water molecules.Adiwidjaja G., Friese K., Klaska K.-H. and Schluter J. (1997): ''The crystal structure of gordaite NaZn4(SO4)(OH)6Cl·6H2O,'' Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, 212, 704–707
Physical properties
Gordaite belongs to the point group P. This indicates that the mineral has a primitive lattice and belongs to the hexagonal/trigonal point group. Gordaite crystals are typically white or opaque and can sometimes exhibit a greenish color if trace copper is present. The crystals are broad and flat and have a vitreous luster. The mineral shows a cleavage plain parallel to , is flexible and has a Mohs hardness of about 2.5. The measured
specific gravity
Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water (molecule), wa ...
is about 2.627 whereas the calculated value is about 2.640. Its crystallographic axes are a = 8.3556 and c = 13.025
angstrom
The angstromEntry "angstrom" in the Oxford online dictionary. Retrieved on 2019-03-02 from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/angstrom.Entry "angstrom" in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Retrieved on 2019-03-02 from https://www.m ...
s, similar to that is the sample from Germany.Schlüter, J., Klaska, K.-H., Friese, K., Adiwidjaja, G. and Gebhard, G. (1997): Gordaite, NaZn4(SO4)(OH)6Cl•6H2O, a new mineral from the San Francisco Mine, Antofagasta, Chile. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Monatshefte (1997): 155-162.
Geologic occurrences
Gordaite has appeared in oxidized deposits of Cu-Zn sulfide in the mines of San Francisco, Chile. Deposits have also been found on the eroded mine dumps in Hettstedt and Helbra Germany. The most notable incidence occurred on the sea floor of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. This occurrence is important because it shows the reaction of ocean water with
hydrothermal
Hydrothermal circulation in its most general sense is the circulation of hot water (Ancient Greek ὕδωρ, ''water'',Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with th ...
fluids in the exterior oxidized portions of the chimney.
Gordaite was named after the
Sierra Gorda
The Sierra Gorda () is an ecological region centered on the northern third of the Mexican state of Querétaro and extending into the neighboring states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí. Within Querétaro, the ecosystem extends from ...
District of the
Tocopilla Province
Tocopilla Province ( es, Provincia de Tocopilla) is one of the three provinces in the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta (II). Its capital is the city of Tocopilla.
Geography and demography
According to the 2012 census by the National Statist ...
of the
Antofagasta
Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669.
After the Spanish American wars ...
region of Chile where it has been reported from the San Francisco mines and other locations. It was approved by the
International Mineralogical Association
Founded in 1958, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) is an international group of 40 national societies. The goal is to promote the science of mineralogy and to standardize the nomenclature of the 5000 plus known mineral species. Th ...
in 1996. Gordaite has since been reported from mine dumps in Germany and the Juan de Fuca Ridge.