Can Hanksite get wet?
Even if a crystal is sealed in a plastic bag, the temperature dropping will cause the humidity in the bag to get high enough for the hanksite to become deliquescent – meaning it absorbs enough water from the air to actually start dissolving itself – and you’ll get a wet crystal in a soggy plastic bag.
Is Hanksite salt?
Hanksite can be colorless, white, gray, green or yellow and is transparent or translucent. It is salty to the taste and sometimes glows pale yellow in ultraviolet light. Typical growth habits are hexagonal prisms or tabular with pyramidal terminations.
Where is Hanksite found?
Searles Lake
Hanksite is normally found in crystal form as evaporite deposits. Hanksite crystals are large but not complex in structure. It is often found in Searles Lake, Soda Lake, Mono Lake, and in Death Valley. It is associated with halite, borax, trona and aphthitalite in the Searles Lake area.
Where to find Hanksite crystals in the wild?
Hanksite is normally found in crystal form as evaporite deposits. Hanksite crystals are large but not complex in structure. It is often found in Searles Lake, Soda Lake, Mono Lake, and in Death Valley.
Where to find Hanksite in San Bernardino County?
At its deposits in San Bernardino County, California hanksite is commonly found beneath the surface embedded in mud or in drill cores (Palache et al., 1960). It is associated with halite, borax, trona and aphthitalite at the Searles Lake locality. It is also associated with borax mining in the Soda Lake area.
What is the hardness of a Hanksite mineral?
Hanksite can be colorless, white, gray, green or yellow and is transparent or translucent. The mineral’s hardness is approximately 3 to 3.5. The specific gravity is approximately 2.5 (slightly below average). It is salty to the taste and sometimes glows pale yellow in ultraviolet light.
What kind of ion group does Hanksite have?
Hanksite is a sulfate mineral, distinguished as one of only a handful that contain both carbonate and sulfate ion groups.