Carnallite
Mineral KMgCl3·6H2O
Take care.
- Damaged by water: Keep it dry: don't wash it, and keep it out of damp places.
- Breaks down in damp air: Keep it dry and in steady humidity; some crumble or rot as they take on moisture.
About it
Soft, bitter, and deliquescent: it draws moisture from the air and dissolves, so specimens need sealed storage. Mined for potash in Germany and Saskatchewan; named for Rudolf von Carnall.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Halide
- Formula
- KMgCl3·6H2O
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 2.5
- Specific gravity
- 1.6
- Streak
- white
- Lustre
- greasy, dull
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Colours
- colourless, white, red, yellowish
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent
- Cleavage and fracture
- none; conchoidal fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.