Mineral · Sorosilicates
Hemimorphite
Zn4Si2O7(OH)2·H2O
Hemimorphite is hydrated zinc silicate, forming sprays of bladed colourless crystals with different terminations at each end (hence the name) and sky-blue botryoidal crusts from the Ojuela Mine (Mapimí, Mexico) and Wenshan (China). Blue Chinese hemimorphite is plentiful and cheap; the Ojuela crystals on limonite are the classic. It was long confused with smithsonite under the name calamine.
| Formula | Zn4Si2O7(OH)2·H2O |
|---|---|
| IMA status | grandfathered |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
| Mohs hardness | 4.5–5 |
| Group | Sorosilicates |
| Type locality | None |
| Streak | White |
| Specific gravity | 3.45 |
| Reference list | IMA List of Minerals (RRUFF) — verify formula and status against the current list |
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Hemimorphite" (Mineral). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/minerals/hemimorphite. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-hemimorphite,
title = {Hemimorphite},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/minerals/hemimorphite}},
year = {2026},
note = {Mineral article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.