Rocksday

Smithsonite

Zinc carbonate forming lustrous, bubbly crusts in pastel blue, green, pink and yellow.

Smithsonite specimen
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify smithsonite

  • Botryoidal crusts with a satiny, pearly sheen.
  • Heavy for its look.
  • Fizzes in warm acid.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Kelly mine, New Mexico
  • Tsumeb, Namibia
  • Laurium, Greece
  • Mexico

Uses

Zinc ore and collector specimens.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

It's named after James Smithson, whose bequest founded the Smithsonian Institution.

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