Locality: Clear Creek claim (Clear Creek Mine), Picacho Peak, New Idria District, Diablo Range, San Benito Co., California, USA Dimensions: 6.6 cm x 4.8 cm x 4.1 cm Black crystals of wattersite with yellowish zones of edgarbaileyite. — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wattersite
A rare mercury chromate from the Clear Creek claim, San Benito County, California.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Wattersite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the chromate class, with the chemical formula Hg¹⁺₄Hg²⁺O₂(CrO₄).
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group C2/c).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 5; specific gravity 8.91; Dark brick-red streak; Submetallic luster.
IMA symbol Wte, IMA status: approved, named in 1987.
A rare mineral found in a mercury deposit in silicate–carbonate rock hydrothermally altered from serpentinite.
It is found associated with Cinnabar, mercury.
The mineral was named to honor Lu Watters (1911–1989), American mineral collector, musician, and environmentalist, specializing in the mineralogy of the California Coast Ranges.