Adamita
Adamita is a mineral with formula Zn₂AsO₄(OH), in the Arseniatos group. This specimen comes from Mina Ojuela, Mapimí, Durango, México and joined the Terrium collection in 1960.
Description
"Buy a Good Glass." A small, unpretentious piece. Yellowish-green, short prismatic crystals arranged in compact aggregates on a limonitic matrix. And although they are not perfect, there is an interesting rosette that requires a loupe to appreciate fully.
History of this specimen
This humble-looking Adamite taught me a lesson. I kept it unclassified for a while, despite it being double-labeled. When I researched its lineage, I discovered it had passed through the hands of László and Elsa Horváth, a legendary Hungarian-Canadian mineralogist couple who even have a mineral named in their honor. But the biggest impact came when I learned that its original owner, Neal Yedlin (1908–1977), is considered the father of micromounting. Among other things, he used to say: 'Buy a good loupe and you will see treasures where others only see rubble
About Adamita
A secondary zinc hydroxyarsenate. This piece stands out for its rare lemon-yellow color (typically colorless) and intense fluorescence triggered by uranyl traces. While massive adamite is common, well-crystallized specimens of this caliber are extremely rare, highly coveted, and priced for top-tier markets.
About the locality
Localidad clásica mundial, célebre sobre todo por sus adamitas y cuproadamitas, y también por mimetitas, hemimorfitas y legranditas. Hace tiempo que la zona ya no está en explotación activa continuada.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0144
- Composition
- Zn₂AsO₄(OH)
- Name
- Adamita
- Group
- Arseniatos
- Category
- Lucimera
- Matrix
- Limonita
- Mine
- Mina Ojuela
- District / Municipality
- Mapimí
- Region
- Durango
- Country
- México
- Size (cm)
- 5 x 3.6 x 2.4
- Acquired
- 1960
- Ex-collection
- Neal Yedlin → László and Elsa Pfenninger-Horváth
- Etymology
- Unlike diamond (adamas, "indomitable"), adamite is a simple eponym after the mineralogist Gilbert-Joseph Adam. Calling it "indomitable" would be ironic: at 3.5 on the Mohs scale, it is an extremely soft mineral.
- Quality
- Buena
- Value trend
- Estable
Related specimens
- Abernathyita — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Abernathyita — España
- Adamita — México
- Adamita — México
- Adamita (Cuprífera) — Grecia
- Adamita — México
- Adamita — México