Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
Image Credit: Malcolm Southwood
Title
smithsonite
Principal Mineral
Size
Cabinet; 89mm
Location in the Mine
Collection
Geoscience Australia R35751
Provenance
(not assigned)
Entry Type
Specimen TSNB628
Description
Sharp, rhombohedral crystals of orange-yellow smithsonite (to 4 mm), intergrown and forming a thick crust over massive sulphide. A little matrix material with undetermined copper secondaries adheres to the display surface.
The specimen has been analysed by EMPA-WDS and LA-ICP-MS as part of a study of the causes of colour in smithsonite (Weall 2022; Southwood et al. 2025). They hypothesised that the orange-yellow colouration is due to the partial oxidation of ferrous iron in solid solution in the smithsonite. Analytical data is presented in Exhibit 2.
Associated Minerals
undetermined (?)
