FRAIPONTITE

Fraipontite, a zinc aluminum silicate hydroxide mineral of the clay group, was described from Sterling Hill by Cianciulli (1995a) as 1 mm clusters of 0.1 mm, yellow-to-brown, flattened crystals with pearly luster, on a slip surface in franklinite-willemite-calcite ore apparently from the 340 level. Semi-quantitative microprobe analysis by [Dunn] yielded approximate metal ratios for Zn:Mg:Fe:Mn = 66:27:5:2. Fraipontite has not been reported from Franklin. (Dunn, 1995)

Location Found:

Ogdensburg

Mineral Note:

Zinalsite, discredited by IMA in 2006 is a synonym of fraipontite.

Year Discovered:

1927

Formula:

(Zn,Al)₃((Si,Al)₂O₅)(OH)₄

Essential Elements:

Hydrogen, Oxygen, Silicon, Zinc

All Elements in Formula:

Aluminum, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Silicon, Zinc

IMA Status:

Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"

To find out more about this mineral at minDat's website, follow this link Fraipontite

References:

Dunn, Pete J. (1995). Franklin and Sterling Hill New Jersey: the world's most magnificent mineral deposits. Franklin, NJ.: The Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society. p.486

The Picking Table References

	PT Issue and Page	Description / Comment
View Issue	V. 36, No. 1 - Spring 1995, pg. 27	Fraipontite From Sterling Hill, New Jersey (small article)

No Images at this time.