Raisaite Properties, Formula & Mineral Information

Raisaite is an extremely rare hydrated copper magnesium tellurate mineral (IMA 2014-046) found in only one locality worldwide: Sentyabr’skoe Deposit, Chukotskii Autonomous Okrug, Far Eastern Region, Russian Federation. It occurs as minute sky-blue needles, sprays and coatings with colorless gypsum on a hessite/petzite bearing quartzite matrix. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0

Raisaite

Raisaite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the oxides & hydroxide class, with the chemical formula CuMg[Te⁶⁺O₄(OH)₂]·6H₂O.

It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group C2/c).

Key properties: Mohs hardness 2; specific gravity 2.82; White streak; Vitreous luster; optically biaxial.

IMA symbol Rsa, IMA status: approved, named in 2014.

Found as a secondary mineral in the oxidation zone of polymetallic sulfide and telluride-bearing veins.

It is found associated with Gypsum, malachite, azurite, cerussite, anglesite, brochantite, linarite, posnjakite, secondary gold and acanthite, chlorargyrite, brucite, goethite.

The mineral was named to honor Dr. Raisa Aleksandrovna Vinogradova (b. 1935), a Russian specialist in ore mineralogy, Moscow State University, Russia.

Index entry. This entry combines official IMA/RRUFF species data with published physical-property data — a full written entry hasn’t been published yet. Browse more R minerals or help write this entry.