Search Mineralpedia – A Mineral Photo Database and Identification Guide

Named after Alfred Lewis Oliver Legrand Des Cloizeaux (1817-1897), a Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Paris in France who was the first to describe the mineral. Occurs widespread in the oxidation zone of hydrothermal ore deposits rich in lead and zinc. Crystals often as flaming orange red drusy crusts and micro thin platy crystals. Can occur in beautiful dark chocolate plumose aggregates with dipyramidal crystals in the centimeter range.

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

Named for Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville, who was a French chemist of the 1800’s whose most important work was in inorganic and thermal chemistry and had many experiments in the artificial preparation of minerals. Devilline is an uncommon mineral that occurs in localities in England, Slovakia, Germany, Italy, Namibia, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and many others. It forms as a secondary mineral in oxidized copper sulfide deposits and can be found of post-mine origin in dumps and on timbers. Devilline is soluble in water.

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

Named to honor Alfred Devito who was a prominent mineral collector of micromounts in particular and a field collector and contributor to the mineralogical community of California in the United States. Devitoite is a rare mineral that can be found only at its type locality in the Esquire No. 8 claim in the Big Creek-Rush Creek district of California, USA. There, it occurs as “an alteration product of gillespite along fractures and parting planes in a sanbornite-bearing rock.”

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

Named to honor Belgian geologist Dr. Jean Dewindt. A rare secondary mineral that occurs via the alteration of uraninite or earlier-formed uranium minerals. Localities for Dewindtite are found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Canada, and Australia, among several others. Dewindtite is highly radioactive, and will fluoresce green under ultraviolet light.

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

Named in reference to the minerals difference from boleite after the Greek prefix dia-, meaning “different,” “separate,” or “apart from.” Diaboleite is a rare mineral that can be found in localities in England, Germany, Italy, Greece, the United States, Iran, Australia, Chile, and Russia, among just a couple others. Diaboleite occurs in oxidized manganese ore, as a secondary mineral in highly oxidized lead-copper ore, and on slag that has been exposed to seawater. Diaboleite is completely soluble in nitric acid.

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

Named after its formation as a secondary mineral from earlier phosphates after the Greek word diadochos, meaning “successor.” Diadoshite is an uncommon mineral that may be post-mine in origin and can be found in gossans and coal deposits formed from sulfate rich solutions, as well as in caves with the phosphate derived from guano, and in granite pegmatites. Localities for Diadochite include in Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Slovakia, Austria, Canada, and in the USA including here in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the Tip Top and Big Chief mines. Other additional localities are known.

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