Hydrozincite from the Yellow Pine Mine, Nevada
Contributed by: Michael Crawford
Date: Nov 8th, 2025
Locality: Yellow Pine Mine (Yellow Pine Lead Zinc Mine; Hilo; Radio; Como; Hermes), Goodsprings, Goodsprings Mining District, Spring Mountains, Clark County, Nevada, USA (See on Mindat)
Size: 10 x 19 cm
Description:
This is a hydrozincite (Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6) specimen from the Yellow Pine Mine, Goodsprings, Clark County, Nevada. Hydrozincite was the most abundant zinc mineral extracted from this mine. Hydrozincite, a secondary mineral, forms through the alteration of other zinc-bearing minerals such as sphalerite, hemimorphite, or smithsonite. The specimen has several vugs filled with small needles of hydrozincite crystals.
The hydrozincite fluoresces blue and yellow under longwave and midwave UV light. The yellow, fluorescent hydrozincite occurs in vugs of the carbonate matrix, and the blue, fluorescent hydrozincite occurs on the matrix. All hydrozincite fluorescence is bright light blue under shortwave light. The shortwave emission is slightly different for hydrozincite in the vugs compared to the hydrozincite on the matrix. Both types have an asymmetric broad peak. The matrix hydrozincite that is blue under all wavelengths has a maximum at 433 nm and a secondary maximum around 444 nm. The other hydrozincite type that fluoresces yellow (LW and MW) and blue (SW) has a maximum at 444 nm and the secondary peak around 433 nm. This shortwave fluorescence is activated by lead (Pb2+) replacing zinc.
The longwave peak emission peak is at 554 nm for the yellow fluorescence of hydrozincite and the emission peak of the blue, fluorescent hydrozincite is at 447 nm. The cause of the yellow fluorescence is unidentified.
Summary of luminescence responses:
Hydrozincite (Mindat) (RRUFF)
- Fluorescence under Longwave (365nm LED) UV light: Yellow
- Fluorescence under Midwave (305nm LED) UV light: Yellow
- Fluorescence under Shortwave (255nm LED) UV light: Blue