Kalinite Locality: Silver Peak , Silver Peak District, Esmeralda County , Nevada , USA ( Locality at mindat.org ) Size: 5.1 x 3.1 x 1.1 cm. A beautiful ram’s-horn crystal of this rare, but questionable sulfate. Ex. Martin Zinn Collection. [Note: very similar specimens from Silver Peak have been X-rayed and found to be potassium alum.] — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0
Kalinite
A fibrous monoclinic potassium alum — hydrated potassium-aluminium sulfate named in 1868.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Kalinite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the sulfate class, with the chemical formula KAl(SO₄)₂·11H₂O.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2–2.5; specific gravity 1.75; Vitreous luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Kli, IMA status: questionable, named in 1868.
A rare secondary mineral observed in the oxidized zone of mineral deposits, as efflorescences on alum slates, in caves, and as a volcanic sublimate.
It is found associated with Jarosite, pisanite (Quetena, Chile).
The name refers to its potassium, kalium, content. Here applied to a partially characterized fibrous birefringent mineral, distinct from cubic potassium alum.