TINCALCONITE

    Class : Carbonates, nitrates, borates
    Subclass : Borates
    Crystal system : Trigonal
    Chemistry : Na2B4O5(OH)4 3H2O
    Rarity : Uncommon

Tincalconite is a secondary borate formed by hydration or dehydration of primary borates. For example, it is the classic dehydration product of borax : the crystals in the collections are thus systematically covered with a whitish film of tincalconite, or even completely pseudomorphosed by this mineral. Its name comes from the Sanskrit tincal designating borax and the Greek konis (powder). Tincalconite occurs in white powdery masses, much more rarely in pseudo-octahedral crystals.

Main photo : Tincalconite pseudomorph after borax from Rio Tinto Borax Mine, California, USA © Rock Currier

Tincalconite in the World

Tincalconite is a parasitic mineral of borates in Californian deposits that have yielded very beautiful crystals, and in Turkish deposits (Kirka). It is also known in beautiful specimens in the Larderello deposits (Italy).

Right photo : Pseudo-octahedral tincalconite from Rio Tinto Borax Mine, California, USA © Rock Currier


Tincalconite in France

Tincalconite is not present in the French underground.

Twinning

No twinning known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 2
Density : 1.88
Fracture : Hackly
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.461 to 1.474
Birefringence : 0.013
Optical character : Uniaxial +
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : Water

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None

ReCaptcha

This service is used to secure web forms of our website and required if you want to contact us. By accepting it you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a service used on our website that tracks, reports traffic and measures how users interact with our website content in order for us to improve it and provide better services.

Facebook

Our website allows you to like or share its content on Facebook social network. By activating and using it you agree to Facebook's privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy/cookies/

YouTube

Integrated videos provided by YouTube are used on our website. By accepting to watch them you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Twitter

Integrated tweets and share services of Twitter are used on our website. By accepting and using these you agree to Twitter's privacy policy: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-cookies

PInterest

Our website allows you to share its content on PInterest social network. By activating and using it you agree to PInterest's privacy policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy/