Zavaritskite Locality: Smrkovec (Schönficht), Slavkovský Les Mts, Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad), Karlovy Vary Region, Bohemia (Böhmen; Boehmen), Czech Republic Grey sub-metallic Zavaritskite. Field of view 3 mm. Specimen and photo Leon Hupperichs. — Photo: Leon Hupperichs · CC BY-SA 3.0
Zavaritskite
A bismuth oxyfluoride named for Soviet petrographer Alexander Zavaritsky.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Zavaritskite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the halide class, with the chemical formula BiOF.
It crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system (space group P4/nmm). It is a member of the Matlockite structural group.
Key properties: Semimetallic to greasy luster.
IMA symbol Zav, IMA status: approved, named in 1962.
An alteration product of bismuthinite in bismuth-bearing hydrothermal ore deposits in quartz-topaz-siderophyllite greisens cutting a granite pluton (Mt. Sherlova, Russia); in a quartz-muscovite-topaz greisen (Torrington, Australia).
It is found associated with Bismuthinite, bismuth, bismutite, gold (Mt. Sherlova, Russia); bismuthinite (Torrington, Australia).
The mineral was named to honor Academician Aleksandr Nikolayevich Zavaritskii (1884-1952), Russian petrographer.