Mineralpedia Details for Rockbridgeite
Rockbridgeite
Named for its type locality in Rockbridge Co., Virginia, USA. Rockbridgeite is a widespread and sometimes locally abundant in localities including several localities in the United States like right here in the Black Hills at the Tip Top, Bull Moose, and Etta mines in South Dakota, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, France, Germany, Australia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Morocco. Rockbridgeite can be found in limonites from iron deposits and also as a product of the alteration of phosphates in granite pegmatites.
Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/rockbridgeite.pdf
- Formula
- Fe2+Fe3+4(PO4)3(OH)5
- Crystal System
- Orthorhombic
- Cleavage
- Perfect, Distinct, Distinct
- Luster
- Vitreous - Dull
- Color
- green, dark olive green, black, brownish green, reddish brown
- Streak
- greenish gray
- Class
- Orthorhombic - Dipyramidal
- Fracture
- Brittle - Uneven
- Hardness
- 4.5
- WebMineral
- View Rockbridgeite
- Mindat
- View Rockbridgeite
Rockbridgeite from Block 14 Opencut, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Tiny acicular crystals of black to dark green Rockbridgeite filling spongy matrix with a host of other grungy arsenates and a bit of micro Adamites.
Rockbridgeite from Hagendorf-Süd, Oberpfälzer Wald, Bavaria, Germany
Dark green to black Rockbridgeite displaying nice radial and concentric patterns.
Rockbridgeite from Tip Top mine, Custer Co., South Dakota, United States
Excellent black acicular crystals in divergent groups to 1mm and acicular crystals in a compact divergent group to 3cm.
Also, dark green to black compact fibrous Rockbridgeite to 3cm with red Hureaulite.
Rockbridgeite from Foote mine, Cleveland Co., North Carolina, United States
Black bead-like crystal groups to 1mm on green Mitridatite (?).
