smithsonite

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | 700+ words | Copyright

smithsonite (calamine) Mineral, ZnCO₃; sp, gr. 4.4; hardness 4.5; trigonal; colour variable, shades of grey, brown, or greyish-white, but green, brown, and yellow types also occur; grey streak; vitreous lustre; crystals rare, but when they develop rhombohedral with curved faces, more usually occurs as botryoidal and stalactitic masses; cleavage perfect rhombohedral; occurs in the oxidized zone of zinc ore deposits, commonly associated with sphalerite, galena, and calcite, also as a replacement in limestone, and in hydrothermal veins; soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid, with effervescence. The green variety is used to make ornaments. It is named after the British mineralogist James Smithson (founder of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC).

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "smithsonite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "smithsonite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-smithsonite.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "smithsonite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-smithsonite.html

Learn more about citation styles