Dypingite - Encyclopedia

    Class : Carbonates, nitrates, borates
    Subclass : Hydrated carbonates
    Crystal system : Monoclinic
    Chemistry : Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2 5H2O
    Rarity : Very rare

Dypingite is an extremely rare magnesium carbonate. It is a secondary mineral that is found in coatings in the cracks of antigorite or hydrotalcite of serpentinite - magnesite deposits. It owes its name to its location of discovery : Dypingdal (Norway). It is known in spherical aggregates with a fibroradiated texture, 0.3 mm maximum, white in color, rarely pink.

Main photo : Dypingite from Brosso Mine, Piedmont, Italy © Alessandro Cantamessa

Dypingite from Brosso Mine, Piedmont, Italy © Stephan Wolfsried
Pink dypingite from Traversella Mine, Piedmont, Italy © Domenico Preite
Dypingite from New Idria, California, USA © Matteo Chinelatto
Dypingite from Yoshikawa mine, Shinshiro, Japan © Christopher O'Neill

Dypingite in the World

Initially described in Snarum (Norway), dypingitis is mainly present in the United States, in California (New Idria) and in New Jersey (Sterling Hill). It is also reported in Japan, near Shinshiro (Honshû) as well as at the Brosso mine in Italian Piedmont.

Dypingite in France

In France, dypinguitis is reported in Salers (Cantal) as well as in Ste-Marie-aux-Mines (Haut-Rhin).

Twinning

No twin known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fake listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : Undeterminated
Density : 2.15
Fracture : Fibrous
Streak : White

TP : Translucent
RI : 1.508 to 1.516
Birefringence : 0.008
Optical character : Biaxial +
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : Blue, yellow and green

Solubility : Hydrochloric acid


Magnetism : None
Radioactivity : None