How do I identify Clearcreekite?

Clearcreekite can be identified by its Pale greenish yellow color. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.

What color is Clearcreekite?

Clearcreekite typically appears in Pale greenish yellow. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.

Clearcreekite

A variety of Minerals

What is Clearcreekite?

Clearcreekite is a carbonate mineral, polymorphous with peterbaylissite. The chemical formula of clearcreekite is Hg3CO3(OH)∙2H2O. It has a pale greenish yellow color and streak with tabular subhedral crystals and good cleavage on {001}. It is transparent with vitreous luster and uneven fracture. Its density (calculated from the idealized formula) is 6.96 g/cm. The mineral is monoclinic with the space group P2/c. Clearcreekite is an extremely rare mineral from the Clear Creek mercury mine, New Idria district, San Benito County, California. It was probably formed after the alteration of other mercury minerals such as cinnabar. The mineral is named after the locality where it was found.

Clearcreekite Market Value Calculator

Estimate the market value of Clearcreekite using size, quality, and finish. This preview calculator is for quick context and is not a formal appraisal.

Clearcreekite Localities Map

See where Clearcreekite is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.

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North ZoneCentral RidgeSouth Basin

Key Characteristics

Characteristics of Clearcreekite

Only two crystals of clearcreekite have ever been found. The longest of them is only 0.17mm and they exhibit tabular, subhedral habit. Clearcreekite is transparent with a pale greenish yellow color and streak, vitreous luster, good cleavage on {001} and it is brittle with uneven fracture. Since the crystals are too small to perform accurate measurements, the hardness of clearcreekite is estimated to be about 2 (because the crystals are highly sensitive to an electron beam) and its density (calculated from the ideal formula) is 6.96 g/cm.

Composition of Clearcreekite

The chemical formula of clearcreekite is Hg3CO3(OH)∙2H2O. It is a polymorph of peterbaylissite. The article about peterbaylissite written by Roberts et al. (1995) describe this mineral as orthorhombic with the point group 2/m, 2/m, 2/m, meanwhile clearcreekite is monoclinic; 2/m. The chemical composition of clearcreekite was obtained after analyzing one of the crystals: Hg2O= 84.65%, CO2= 6.16%, H2O= 6.3%. The results given by the electron microprobe differ slightly from the percentages calculated using the idealized formula: H2O= 87.54%, CO2= 6.16%, H2O= 6.3%. The only elements observed in the study were mercury, carbon, and oxygen.