Greenish blue crystals of the very rare sulphate aubertite from the type locality in Queténa (Queténa Mine, Chuquicamata, El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile). — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0
Aubertite
A transparent blue triclinic copper-aluminium sulfate-chloride hydrate.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Aubertite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the sulfate class, with the chemical formula Cu²⁺Al(SO₄)₂Cl·14H₂O.
It crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system (space group P1). It is a member of the Aubertite structural group.
Key properties: specific gravity 1.815; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Aub, IMA status: approved, named in 1978.
Found in the oxidized zone of a copper deposit.
It is found associated with Copiapite, botryogen, amarantite, parabutlerite, metahohmannite.
The mineral was named to honor J. Aubert (1929–), French geophysicist who collected the first specimens.