White Witzkeite , original material (Specimen size 17 mm) Fundort: South slope Punta de Lobos, Tarapacá Region, Chile (21°01'26.38 S, 70°10'16.20 W) — Photo: Thomas Witzke · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Witzkeite
Witzkeite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the nitrate class, with the chemical formula Na₄K₄Ca(NO₃)₂(SO₄)₄·2H₂O.
It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system (space group C2/c).
Key properties: Mohs hardness 2; specific gravity 2.4; White streak; Vitreous luster; optically biaxial.
IMA symbol Wzk, IMA status: approved, named in 2011.
Found in the oxidation zone of a guano deposit in an arid climate.
It is found associated with Dittmanite, nitratine.
The mineral was named to honor Thomas Witzke (b. 1963), a German mineralogist whose study of alteration processes and products has resulted in the discovery and description of several new minerals.