OTAVITE

    Class : Carbonates, nitrates, borates
    Subclass : Anhydrous carbonates
    Crystal system : Trigonal
    Chemistry : CdCO3
    Rarity : Rare to very rare

Otavite is an extremely rare cadmium carbonate known only from the oxidation zone of base metal deposits. Its name comes from its discovery location : Tsumeb near Otavi (Namibia). Otavite forms very small colorless to white crystals, sometimes orange-red among other carbonates of copper (azurite, malachite), zinc (smithsonite) or lead (cerussite), phosphates and arsenates (pyromorphite, olivenite).

Main photo : Otavite from Su Elzu, Ozieri, Sardinia, Italy © Stephan Wolfsried

Otavite in the World

Otavite is known in millimeter crystals at Tsumeb (Namibia), the type locality. It is also known in Broken Hill (Australia), in Ozieri (Sardinia, Italy) and in some American localities.

Otavite in France

Otavite is not present in the French underground.

Twinning

Twins are known.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 3.5 to 4
Density : 4.96
Fracture : Undetermined
Streak : White

TP : Translucent to transparent
RI : 1.605 to 1.830
Birefringence : 0.225
Optical character : Uniaxial -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : Acids

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None