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Tarbuttite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Tarbuttite
Formula:
Zn2(PO4)(OH)
Colour:
White, colourless, yellow, red green or brown; colourless in transmitted light.
Lustre:
Vitreous, Pearly
Hardness:
3½
Specific Gravity:
4.12
Crystal System:
Triclinic
Member of:
Name:
Named after Percy Coventry Tarbutt (1873 - 24 May 1943), mineralogist and one of the African mining 'jungle magnates'. A director of the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa and a director of the Broken Hill Exploration Company. He collected some of the first specimens at Broken Hill (now Kabwe), Zambia.
A rare secondary zinc phosphate. A synthetic orthorhombic (libethenite-type) polymorph is known (Harrison et al., 1995).
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3892
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3892:4
IMA Classification of Tarbuttite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
Zn2+2(PO4)(OH)
Classification of Tarbuttite
8.BB.35
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without H2O
B : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 about 1:1
8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
B : Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without H2O
B : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4 about 1:1
41.6.7.1
41 : ANHYDROUS PHOSPHATES, ETC.CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
6 : A2(XO4)Zq
41 : ANHYDROUS PHOSPHATES, ETC.CONTAINING HYDROXYL OR HALOGEN
6 : A2(XO4)Zq
19.6.1
19 : Phosphates
6 : Phosphates of Zn
19 : Phosphates
6 : Phosphates of Zn
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMAâCNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Tbt | IMAâCNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMAâCNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Tarbuttite
Vitreous, Pearly
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent
Comment:
Lustre pearly on the cleavage surfaces.
Colour:
White, colourless, yellow, red green or brown; colourless in transmitted light.
Streak:
White
Hardness:
3½ on Mohs scale
Cleavage:
Perfect
On {010}, perfect.
On {010}, perfect.
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven
Density:
4.12 g/cm3 (Measured) 4.19 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Tarbuttite
Type:
Biaxial (-)
RI values:
nα = 1.66 nβ = 1.705 nγ = 1.713
2V:
Measured: 50°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.053
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 ”m thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 ”m thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
Very High (positive)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
weak
Optical Extinction:
X (7°,58°); Y (159°,25°); Z (â86°,80°) [using (Ï,Ï)].
Chemistry of Tarbuttite
Mindat Formula:
Zn2(PO4)(OH)
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Tarbuttite
Crystal System:
Triclinic
Class (H-M):
1 - Pinacoidal
Space Group:
P1
Cell Parameters:
a = 5.55 Å, b = 5.7 Å, c = 6.47 Å
α = 102.68°, β = 102.81°, γ = 86.88°
α = 102.68°, β = 102.81°, γ = 86.88°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.974 : 1 : 1.135
Unit Cell V:
194.71 Ă
Âł (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
8
Morphology:
Crystals equant to short prismatic [001]. Commonly found as sheaf-like aggregates or as crusts. Individual crystals commonly rounded and deeply striated.
Crystal Structure
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0012477 | Tarbuttite | Genkina E A, Maksimov B A, Mel'nikov O K (1985) Crystal structure of synthetic tarbutite Zn2[PO4](OH) Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR 282 314-317 | 1985 | synthetic | 0 | 293 | |
| 0010630 | Tarbuttite | Cocco G, Fanfani L, Zanazzi P F (1966) The crystal structure of tarbuttite, Zn2(OH)PO4 Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie 123 321-329 |  | 1966 | Broken Hill, Rhodesia | 0 | 293 |
| 0014936 | Tarbuttite | Fanfani L, Zanazzi P F (1965) Dati strutturali sulla tarbuttite Periodico di Mineralogia 34 539-545 | 1965 | Broken Hill, Rhodesia | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Loading XRD data...
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 6.17 Ă | (100) |
| 2.058 Ă | (30) |
| 2.782 Ă | (25) |
| 3.697 Ă | (20) |
| 2.882 Ă | (19) |
| 2.980 Ă | (12) |
| 2.971 Ă | (12) |
Comments:
Kabwe, Zambia. ICDD 36-410.
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47a : [Near-surface hydration of prior minerals] | |
| 47c : [Carbonates, phosphates, borates, nitrates] |
Type Occurrence of Tarbuttite
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
MusĂ©um Nationale dâHistoire Naturelle, Paris, France, 108.1886.
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Upper portion of the oxidation zone where phosphatic solutions reacted with earlier formed hemimorphite and cerussite.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Other Language Names for Tarbuttite
Dutch:Tarbuttiet
German:Tarbuttit
Russian:йаŃбŃŃŃĐžŃ
Simplified Chinese:äžæ磷éçż
Spanish:Tarbuttita
Traditional Chinese:äžæ磷é
瀊
Relationship of Tarbuttite to other Species
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 42 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Hemimorphite | Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O |
| 41 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Skorpionite | Ca3Zn2(PO4)2(CO3)(OH)2 · H2O |
| 25 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Hydroxylapatite | Ca5(PO4)3(OH) |
| 18 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Smithsonite | ZnCO3 |
| 9 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Scholzite | CaZn2(PO4)2 · 2H2O |
| 9 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Pyromorphite | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
| 8 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Hydrozincite | Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 |
| 8 photos of Tarbuttite associated with 'Limonite' | |
| 8 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Parahopeite | Zn3(PO4)2 · 4H2O |
| 4 photos of Tarbuttite associated with Hopeite | ZnZn2(PO4)2 · 4H2O |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 8.BB. | Moabite | NiFe3+(PO4)O |
| 8.BB. | Tilasite | CaMg(AsO4)F |
| 8.BB. | Paulgrothite | Cu9Fe3+O4(PO4)4Cl3 |
| 8.BB. | Karlditmarite | Cu9O4(PO4)2(SO4)2 |
| 8.BB. | Milkovoite | Cu4O(PO4)(AsO4) |
| 8.BB.X | Arsenowagnerite | Mg2(AsO4)F |
| 8.BB.05 | Tavorite | LiFe3+(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.05 | Amblygonite | LiAl(PO4)F |
| 8.BB.05 | Montebrasite | LiAl(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.10 | Zwieselite | Fe2+2(PO4)F |
| 8.BB.10 | Triplite | Mn2+2(PO4)F |
| 8.BB.15 | 'Unnamed (Sb-analogue of Auriacusite)' | Fe3+Cu2+[(Sb,As)O4]O |
| 8.BB.15 | Joosteite | Mn2+(Mn3+,Fe3+)(PO4)O |
| 8.BB.15 | Hydroxylwagnerite | Mg2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.15 | Wagnerite | Mg2(PO4)F |
| 8.BB.15 | StanÄkite | (Mn2+,Fe2+,Mg)Fe3+(PO4)O |
| 8.BB.15 | Triploidite | Mn2+2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.15 | Sarkinite | Mn2+2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.15 | Wolfeite | Fe2+2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.20 | Holtedahlite | Mg2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.20 | Satterlyite | (Fe2+,Mg,Fe)12(PO4)5(PO3OH)(OH,O)6 |
| 8.BB.25 | Althausite | Mg4(PO4)2(OH,O)(F,â») |
| 8.BB.30 | Zincolivenite | CuZn(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Adamite | Zn2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Libethenite | Cu2(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Zincolibethenite | CuZn(PO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Eveite | Mn2+2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Olivenite | Cu2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.30 | Auriacusite | Fe3+Cu2+(AsO4)O |
| 8.BB.35 | Paradamite | Zn2(AsO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.40 | Barbosalite | Fe2+Fe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Scorzalite | Fe2+Al2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Lazulite | MgAl2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Meizhouite | Fe2+V3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Hentschelite | CuFe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.40 | Wilhelmkleinite | ZnFe3+2(AsO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.45 | Dokuchaevite | Cu8O2(VO4)3Cl3 |
| 8.BB.45 | Trolleite | Al4(PO4)3(OH)3 |
| 8.BB.45 | Yaroshevskite | Cu9O2(VO4)4Cl2 |
| 8.BB.50 | Namibite | Cu(BiO)2(VO4)(OH) |
| 8.BB.50 | Aleutite | [Cu5O2](AsO4)(VO4) · (Cu,K,Pb,Rb,Cs,)Cl |
| 8.BB.52a | Ericlaxmanite | Cu4O(AsO4)2 |
| 8.BB.52b | Kozyrevskite | Cu4O(AsO4)2 |
| 8.BB.55 | Phosphoellenbergerite | (Mg,â»)2Mg12(PO4,PO3OH)6(PO3OH,CO3)2(OH)6 |
| 8.BB.55 | Popovite | Cu5O2(AsO4)2 |
| 8.BB.60 | Urusovite | CuAl(AsO4)O |
| 8.BB.65 | Theoparacelsite | Cu3(As2O7)(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.70 | Turanite | Cu5(VO4)2(OH)4 |
| 8.BB.75 | Stoiberite | Cu5(VO4)2O2 |
| 8.BB.80 | Fingerite | Cu11(VO4)6O2 |
| 8.BB.85 | Averievite | Cu6(VO4)2O2Cl2 |
| 8.BB.90 | Richellite | CaFe3+2(PO4)2(OH,F)2 |
| 8.BB.90 | Lipscombite | Fe2+Fe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
| 8.BB.90 | Zinclipscombite | ZnFe3+2(PO4)2(OH)2 |
Other Information
Notes:
May form pseudomorphs after smithsonite, descloizite and possibly also hemimorphite. May alter to parahopeite.
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Tarbuttite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3892.html
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Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Tarbuttite
Reference List:
Spencer, L. J. (1908) On Hopeite and other zinc phosphates and associated minerals from the Broken Hill mines, North-Western Rhodesia. Mineralogical Magazine and Journal of the Mineralogical Society, 15 (68) 1-38 doi:10.1180/minmag.1908.015.68.02 p.22
Larsen, Esper S. (1921) The microscopic determination of the nonopaque minerals. Bulletin 679. US Geological Survey doi:10.3133/b679 p.141
Richmond, Wallace E. (1940) Crystal chemistry of the phosphates, arsenates and vanadates of the type A2XO4(Z). American Mineralogist, 25 (7). 441-479 p.475
Finney, J. J. (1966) The unit cell of tarbuttite, Zn2(PO4)(OH), and paradamite, Zn2(AsO4)(OH) American Mineralogist, 51 (7) 1218-1220
Cocco, G., Fanfani, L., Zanazzi, P. F. (1966) The crystal structure of tarbuttite, Zn2(OH)PO4. Zeitschrift fĂŒr Kristallographie - Crystalline Materials, 123 (5) 321-329 doi:10.1524/zkri.1966.123.5.321
Quick, S. M., Bank, G. (1973) Electron spin resonance of Cu2+ in tarbuttite mineral. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 6. 891-895 doi:10.1088/0022-3727/6/7/314
Hill, R. J., Milnes, A. R. (1974) Phosphate minerals from Reaphook Hill, Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Mineralogical Magazine, 39 (306) 684-695 doi:10.1180/minmag.1974.039.306.06
Harrison, William T. A., Vaughey, J. T., Dussack, Laurie L., Jacobson, Allan J., Martin, Theresa E., Stucky, Galen D. (1995) Two new adamite-type phases, CO2(OH)PO4 and Zn2(OH)PO4: Structure-directing effect of organic additives. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 114. 151-158 doi:10.1006/jssc.1995.1022
Frost, Ray L. (2004) An infrared and Raman spectroscopic study of natural zinc phosphates. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 60 (7) 1439-1445 doi:10.1016/j.saa.2003.08.009
Localities for Tarbuttite
Showing 15 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
â - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Angola | |
| Millmam (1960) |
Atlantic Ocean | |
| Gablina et al. (2018) |
| Lyutkevich (2022) | |
Australia | |
| Birch et al. (1997) |
| Birch et al. (1997) |
| Johnston et al. (1978) |
Canada | |
| Paradis et al. (2015) |
| Paradis et al. (2015) |
China | |
| Lairen Lai and Nicheng Shi (1984) | |
Europe | |
| Berbain et al. (2012) | |
France | |
| Berbain et al. (2012) |
| Berbain et al. (2012) |
Namibia | |
| Borg et al. (2003) +1 other reference |
USA | |
| Eckel et al. (1997) |
Zambia (TL) | |
| Nature (1907) +1 other reference |
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Kabwe Mine, Kabwe, Kabwe District, Central Province, Zambia