Cabalzarite is a rare arsenate mineral with formula: (Ca(Mg, Al, Fe3+)2[AsO4]2·2(H2O, OH). It is a member of the tsumcorite group. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system and typically occurs as clusters of crystals or granular aggregates. It is not radioactive.
It was first described for samples from an abandoned manganese mine in Falotta, Graubünden, Switzerland and named for Swiss amateur mineralogist Walter Cabalzar. It was approved as a new mineral by the IMA in 1997. It has also been reported from the Aghbar mine in Ouarzazate Province, Morocco.
General Information
- Category: Arsenate minerals
- Formula: (Ca(Mg,Al,Fe3+)2[AsO4]22(H2O,OH)
- Crystal system: Monoclinic
- Crystal class: Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol).
Properties
- Color: Light brown, brownish pink, orange-brown
- Crystal habit: Aggregates and clusters, granular
- Fracture: Irregular
- Mohs scale hardness: 5
- Luster: Vitreous
- Streak: White
- Diaphaneity: transparent
- Specific gravity: 3.89
Cabalzarite is a mineral first found in an abandoned mine in Falotta, Graubünden, Switzerland and named for Walter Cabalzar, an amateur mineralogist of Chur, Switzerland who contributed to the mineralogy of the Graubünden canton.
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