Judging quality
Most adamite fluoresces intense green under longwave UV, which is the quickest confirmation. Color comes from trace uranium and copper.
Arsenate
Adamite
Bright yellow-green zinc arsenate crusts, best known from the Ojuela mine at Mapimí where it carpets brown limonite matrix in glowing druzy sprays.
Care
Arsenate mineral: handle dry, wash hands, do not wash specimens. Keep from strong light to preserve fluorescence-linked color.
History & lore
Named for the French mineralogist Gilbert-Joseph Adam, who supplied the first described material in 1866.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Adamite
- What is Adamite?
- Bright yellow-green zinc arsenate crusts, best known from the Ojuela mine at Mapimí where it carpets brown limonite matrix in glowing druzy sprays.
- How hard is Adamite and what is it made of?
- Adamite is a Arsenate-family mineral with the composition Zn2(AsO4)(OH). It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and rates 3.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in yellow-green, lime, yellow.
- Where does Adamite come from?
- Notable localities for Adamite include Mapimí, Durango, Mexico, Greece (Lavrion), Namibia (Tsumeb).
- How do you tell good Adamite from filler?
- Most adamite fluoresces intense green under longwave UV, which is the quickest confirmation. Color comes from trace uranium and copper.
- How do you care for Adamite?
- Arsenate mineral: handle dry, wash hands, do not wash specimens. Keep from strong light to preserve fluorescence-linked color.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.