Lazaridisite

Lazaridisite has been reported from Tsumeb by Joy Désor (Joy Désor - New minerals for the Tsumeb mine, Namibia (mindat.org); accessed October 2022), based on EDS and XRD analysis. Lazaridisite is the lowest hydrate of cadmium sulphate known to occur naturally.

Lazaridisite is one of several cadmium-bearing minerals discovered by Désor in a large specimen of germanite ore (with chalcocite, galena and sphalerite) containing vugs hosting cerussite, galloplumbogummite and pyromorphite. The suite of cadmium minerals also included edwardsite, niedermayrite, lauraniite, and otavite.

At Tsumeb, lazaridisite was reported as colourless crystals in association with pyromorphite and cerussite on massive sulphide ore that includes chalcocite and germanite, the latter providing reasonable corroboration of the specimen’s Tsumeb origin. Other unidentified phases are also present, one of which appears to be a hexahydrite group mineral containing dominant zinc, which Désor tentatively identified as bianchite (?).

bianchite (?); cerussite; chalcocite; edwardsite; galena; galloplumbogummite; germanite; gunningite; ktenasite; lauraniite; niedermayrite; otavite; pyromorphite; sphalerite; voudourisite (?)