Mineralpedia Details for Leightonite

Named after Tomas Leighton Donoso, a Chilean mining engineer and Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Santiago in Chile. Leightonite is a rare mineral found only in Chile, Namibia, and at newer localities in Austria, and Norway. It occurs at its type locality at the Chuquicamata mine in Chile in oxidized copper under low acidity conditions.

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/leightonite.pdf

Formula

K₂Ca₂Cu(SO₄)₄·2H₂O 

Crystal System

Monoclinic 

Crystal Habit

Prismatic 

Cleavage

None, None, None 

Luster

Vitreous (Glassy) 

Color

blue green, light blue 

Streak

white 

Class

Monoclinic - Prismatic 

Hardness

3 

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Mindat

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Translucent aqua-blue crystalline mass.