Esperite is a rare complex calcium

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

silicate A silicate is any member of a family of polyatomic anions consisting of silicon and oxygen, usually with the general formula , where . The family includes orthosilicate (), metasilicate (), and pyrosilicate (, ). The name is also used ...

(PbCa₃Zn₄(SiO₄)₄) related to beryllonite and trimerite that used to be called ''calcium larsenite''. Esperite has a white, greasy appearance in daylight and is much prized for its brilliant yellow green

fluorescence Fluorescence is one of two kinds of photoluminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, many substances will glow (fluoresce) with colore ...

under shortwave

ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

light. It is found in association with

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

franklinite Franklinite is an oxide mineral belonging to the normal spinel subgroup's iron (Fe) series, with the formula Zn2+Fe23+O4. As with another spinel member magnetite, both ferrous (2+) and ferric (3+) iron may be present in franklinite samples. Div ...

willemite Willemite is a zinc silicate mineral () and a minor ore of zinc. It is highly fluorescent (green) under shortwave ultraviolet light. It occurs in a variety of colors in daylight, in fibrous masses and apple-green gemmy masses. Troostite is a vari ...

, hardystonite and clinohedrite. It has also been found as prismatic crystals up to 1 mm in length at the

El Dragon Mine EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

, Potosi,

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

in association with

allophane Allophane is an amorphous to poorly crystalline hydrous aluminium silicate clay mineraloid. Its chemical formula is Al2O3·(SiO2)1.3-2·(2.5-3)H2O. Since it has short-range atomic order, it is a mineraloid, rather than a mineral, and can be ident ...

, chalcomenite, clinochalcomenite and

barite Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate (Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...

References

Mineral galleries
*Pete Dunn, ''Franklin and Sterling Hill, New Jersey: the world's most magnificent mineral deposits'', part 3 p. 368 (1995) *G. Grundmann, et al.: ''The El Dragon Mine, Potosi Bolivia'', Mineralogical Record v.21 #2 p. 142 (1990) *Anthony et al., ''Handbook of Mineralogy'', Vol. 2 (silicates) part 1 p. 225 (1995) Robbins, Manuel: Fluorescence Gems and Minerals under Ultraviolet Light Geoscience Press pp 50–51,243 (1994) Calcium minerals Lead minerals Zinc minerals Nesosilicates Monoclinic minerals Minerals in space group 11 Minerals described in 1928 {{silicate-mineral-stub