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Antarcticite - Wikipedia

Antarcticite is a calcium chloride hexahydrate mineral that forms colorless acicular trigonal crystals. It is hygroscopic, has a low specific gravity of 1.715, and was first discovered in Antarctica in 1965. Antarcticite occurs as crystalline precipitate from highly saline brine and has also been found in brine from dry lakes and blue holes in other locations. A similar mineral is sinjarite, the dihydrate form of calcium chloride that crystallizes in the tetragonal system.

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169 views6 pages

Antarcticite - Wikipedia

Antarcticite is a calcium chloride hexahydrate mineral that forms colorless acicular trigonal crystals. It is hygroscopic, has a low specific gravity of 1.715, and was first discovered in Antarctica in 1965. Antarcticite occurs as crystalline precipitate from highly saline brine and has also been found in brine from dry lakes and blue holes in other locations. A similar mineral is sinjarite, the dihydrate form of calcium chloride that crystallizes in the tetragonal system.

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Antarcticite

Antarcticite is an uncommon calcium


chloride hexahydrate mineral with
formula: CaCl2·6H2O. It forms colorless
acicular trigonal crystals. It is
hygroscopic and has a low specific
gravity of 1.715.
Antarcticite
General

Category Halide mineral

Formula CaCl2·6H2O
(repeating unit)

Strunz classification 3.BB.30

Crystal system Trigonal

Crystal class Trapezohedral (32)


H-M symbol: (32)

Space group P321

Unit cell a = 7.9, c = 3.95 [Å];


Z = 1

Identification

Color Colorless

Crystal habit Occurs as groups of


acicular crystals
Cleavage Perfect on {0001}, very
good on {1010}

Tenacity Brittle

Mohs scale hardness 2-3

Luster Vitreous

Diaphaneity Transparent

Specific gravity 1.715

Optical properties Uniaxial (-)

Refractive index nω = 1.550 nε = 1.490 -


1.500

Birefringence δ = 0.060

Other characteristics Deliquescent

References [1][2][3]

As its name implies, it was first


described in 1965 for an occurrence in
Antarctica where it occurs as crystalline
precipitate from a highly saline brine in
Don Juan Pond, in the west end of Wright
Valley, Victoria Land. This discovery was
made by Japanese geochemists Tetsuya
Torii and Joyo Ossaka.[4] It was also
reported from brine in Bristol Dry Lake,
California, and stratified brine within blue
holes on North Andros Island in the
Bahamas. It has also been noted within
fluid inclusions within quartz in
pegmatite bodies in the Bushveld
complex of South Africa. It occurs in
association with halite, gypsum and
celestine in the California dry lake.[1]
A similar mineral, sinjarite, the dihydrate
of calcium chloride, crystallizes in the
tetragonal system.[5] Hydrophilite is a
now discredited calcium chloride mineral
that is considered to be either
antarcticite or sinjarite.[6]

References
1. Handbook of Mineralogy
2. Antarcticite on Mindat.org
3. Antarcticite data on Webmineral
4. Antarcticite: A New Mineral, Calcium
Chloride Hexahydrate, Discovered in
Antarctica, Science 27 August 1965:
Vol. 149 no. 3687 pp. 975-977
5. Sinjarite on Mindat
6. Hydrophylite on Mindat

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by expanding it.

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