Knowra Smithsonite Smithsonite Smithsonite is a zinc carbonate mineral with the formula ZnCO₃. It commonly forms in the oxidized zones of zinc ore deposits and occurs in varied colors and crystal habits.
Carbonate mineral : A mineral containing a carbonate ion, CO₃²⁻, as a defining chemical component. Smithsonite belongs to this mineral family because carbonate ions combine with zinc in its formula.
Supergene enrichment : The near-surface concentration of metals through weathering, dissolution, and reprecipitation. Smithsonite can form as weathering mobilizes zinc from primary ores and redeposits it.
Zinc mining : The extraction of zinc-bearing ores and their processing to produce zinc metal or compounds. Smithsonite can serve as a zinc ore where its concentration and deposit economics permit.
Kelly Mine : A historic zinc and lead mine near Magdalena, New Mexico, known for diverse mineral specimens. Its deposits produced notable smithsonite specimens in several colors and forms.
Zinc : A metallic chemical element with atomic number 30, commonly found in minerals and used in alloys and coatings. Zinc supplies the metal cation in smithsonite’s ZnCO₃ composition.
Sphalerite : A zinc sulfide mineral, ZnS, and the principal ore mineral of zinc. Oxidation of sphalerite is a major source of zinc for secondary smithsonite.
Hemimorphite : A hydrous zinc silicate mineral, Zn₄Si₂O₇(OH)₂·H₂O, found in oxidized zinc deposits. It is another secondary zinc mineral that can occur with smithsonite in ore zones.
Rosiclare : A town in southern Illinois associated with the fluorspar and zinc mining district of the Illinois-Kentucky region. The surrounding district is a source of smithsonite and other minerals from carbonate-hosted ores.
Carbonate : The polyatomic ion CO₃²⁻, consisting of one carbon atom bonded to three oxygen atoms. This ion bonds with zinc to form smithsonite’s carbonate composition.
Oxidation zone : The near-surface part of an ore deposit altered by oxygenated water and weathering. This is the setting where zinc released from sulfides can precipitate as smithsonite.
Show all 20