1910–1911
Britannica 11th
Encyclopaedia Britannica · 11th edition
ATACAMITE, a mineral found originally in the desert of Atacama, and named by D. de GaUizen in 1801. It is a cupric oxychloride, having the formula CuCl2.3Cu(OH)2, and crystallizing in the orthorhombic system. Its hardness is about 3 and its specific gravity 3-7, while its colour presents various shades of green, usually dark. Atacamite is a comparatively rare mineral, formed in some cases by the action of sea-water on various copper-ores, and occurring also as a volcanic product on Vesuvian lavas. Some of the fines…
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- Vol. 2, pp. 822-822