Goslarite
Mineral ZnSO4·7H2O
Also called White vitriol
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
White fibrous crusts and stalactites formed on mine walls as sphalerite weathers. Dissolves in water; named for Goslar in Germany, home of the Rammelsberg mine.
- Type
- Mineral
- Group
- Sulfate, epsomite group
- Formula
- ZnSO4·7H2O
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 2–2.5
- Specific gravity
- 1.96–1.98
- Streak
- white
- Lustre
- vitreous (glassy), silky
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Colours
- colourless, white, pale blue, pale green, brownish
- Transparency
- transparent, translucent
- Cleavage and fracture
- perfect in one direction
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.