TARBUTTITE

    Class : Phosphates, arsenates, vanadates
    Subclass : Anhydrous phosphates
    Crystal system : Triclinic
    Chemistry : Zn2PO4(OH)
    Rarity : Very rare

Tarbuttite is a very rare secondary zinc phosphate occurring in the oxidation zone of zinc deposits along with smithsonite, hemimorphite, hopeite and parahopeite. It was named in honour of Percy Coventry Tarbutt, Director of the Broken Hill Exploration Company who provided some samples of the mineral. Tarbuttite forms complex crystals, usually stout to elongated prismatic; sometimes equant, rounded and fluted, grouped in aggregates or encrustations. Its colour is white or faintly greenish, yellowish or reddish.

Main photo : Tarbuttite from Kabwe Mine, Zambia © Chris Emproto

Tarbuttite from Kabwe Mine, Zambia © Stephan Wolfsried
Tarbuttite from Kabwe Mine, Zambia © Yaiba Sakaguchi
Tarbuttite from Kabwe Mine, Zambia © Gianfranco Ciccolini
Tarbuttite from Skorpion Mine, Namibia © Leon Hupperichs

Tarbuttite in the World

Superb centimeter-sized crystals of tarbuttite come from the Broken Hill Mine (Zambia), where individuals reach 2 cm, and from the Australian deposit from Reaphook Hill (Australia). It is also reported in the Australian Broken Hill and in the Canadian Hudson Bay mine near Salmo (British Columbia).

Tarbuttite in France

In France, tarbuttite is known in the pegmatites of Collioure (Pyrénées-Orientales).

Twinning

No twinning known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 3.5
Density : 4.12
Fracture : Irregular
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.660 to 1.713
Birefringence : 0.053
Optical character : Biaxial -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : -

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None