Plancheite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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About Plancheite
François G. Planche
Formula:
Cu8(Si8O22)(OH)4 · H2O
Colour:
Pale blue to deep blue, pale greenish blue.
Lustre:
Silky
Hardness:
6
Specific Gravity:
3.65 - 3.80
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Name:
Named by A. Lacroix in 1908 in honor of François Gilbert Planche (4 June 1866, Tarare, Rhône-et-Loire, France - 24 May 1924, Gap, Hautes-Alpes, France), an industrialist and a politician. He built dams and power plants, and founded several rail companies. In Africa, he constructed the Brazzaville line in Mindouli. He was also director of the French Congo Mining Company, which opened copper mines in the area. He supplied the first samples for study.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3233
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3233:5
IMA Classification of Plancheite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
Cu8(Si4O11)2(OH)4 · H2O
First published:
1908
Classification of Plancheite
9.DP.55
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
P : Transitional ino-phyllosilicate structures
9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
D : Inosilicates
P : Transitional ino-phyllosilicate structures
66.2.1.1
66 : INOSILICATES Double-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=2)
2 : Amphiboles - Ca subgroup
66 : INOSILICATES Double-Width,Unbranched Chains,(W=2)
2 : Amphiboles - Ca subgroup
14.2.3
14 : Silicates not Containing Aluminum
2 : Silicates of Cu
14 : Silicates not Containing Aluminum
2 : Silicates of Cu
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Pch | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Plancheite
Silky
Transparency:
Translucent
Colour:
Pale blue to deep blue, pale greenish blue.
Hardness:
6 on Mohs scale
Density:
3.65 - 3.80 g/cm3 (Measured) 3.85 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Plancheite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.697 nβ = 1.718 nγ = 1.741
2V:
Measured: 88.5°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.044
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars.
Surface Relief:
Moderate
Dispersion:
relatively strong
Pleochroism:
Visible
Comments:
X = pale blue, Y = Z = blue.
Comments:
X = c; Y = b; Z = a.
Absorption: Z > X > Y.
Refractive indices from Evans and Mrose (1977), which are higher than in the type description.
Absorption: Z > X > Y.
Refractive indices from Evans and Mrose (1977), which are higher than in the type description.
Chemistry of Plancheite
Mindat Formula:
Cu8(Si8O22)(OH)4 · H2O
Element Weights:
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Plancheite
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) - Dipyramidal
Cell Parameters:
a = 19.043(3) Å, b = 20.129(5) Å, c = 5.269(1) Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.946 : 1 : 0.262
Unit Cell V:
2,019.69 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Morphology:
Fibrous
Comment:
Space Group: Pcnb:
Crystal Structure
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0000579 | Plancheite | Evans H T, Mrose M E (1977) The crystal chemistry of the hydrous copper silicates, shattuckite and plancheite American Mineralogist 62 491-502 |  | 1977 | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 10.11 Å | (100) |
| 4.06 Å | (85) |
| 6.94 Å | (70) |
| 4.87 Å | (50) |
| 9.56 Å | (40) |
| 3.95 Å | (40) |
| 3.31 Å | (40) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47a : [Near-surface hydration of prior minerals] |
Geological Setting:
Secondary mineral in copper deposits.
Type Occurrence of Plancheite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Dark blue concretions with a rounded surface and very tight fibrous structure; light blue spherules composed of randomly oriented needles; asbestiform veinlets in sandstone, to 4 cm in length.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
n.d.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Synonyms of Plancheite
Other Language Names for Plancheite
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 311 photos of Plancheite associated with Dioptase | CuSiO3 · H2O |
| 157 photos of Plancheite associated with Malachite | Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 |
| 120 photos of Plancheite associated with Quartz | SiO2 |
| 60 photos of Plancheite associated with Calcite | CaCO3 |
| 52 photos of Plancheite associated with Chrysocolla | Cu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1 |
| 38 photos of Plancheite associated with Shattuckite | Cu5(Si2O6)2(OH)2 |
| 21 photos of Plancheite associated with Cuprite | Cu2O |
| 16 photos of Plancheite associated with Duftite | PbCu(AsO4)(OH) |
| 14 photos of Plancheite associated with Azurite | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| 11 photos of Plancheite associated with Fornacite | Pb2Cu(CrO4)(AsO4)(OH) |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 9.DP.05 | Meliphanite | (Ca,Na)2(Be,Al)[Si2O6(OH,F)] |
| 9.DP.15 | Leucosphenite | BaNa4Ti2B2Si10O30 |
| 9.DP.20 | Ferriprehnite | Ca2Fe3+(Si3AlO10)(OH)2 |
| 9.DP.20 | Prehnite | Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2 |
| 9.DP.25 | Amstallite | CaAl[(Al,Si)4O8(OH)2](OH)2 · (H2O,Cl) |
| 9.DP.30 | Kvanefjeldite | Na4(Ca,Mn)(Si3O7)2(OH)2 |
| 9.DP.35 | Lemoynite | (Na,K)2CaZr2Si10O26 · 5H2O |
| 9.DP.35 | Hogarthite | (Na,K)2CaTi2Si10O26 · 8H2O |
| 9.DP.35 | Natrolemoynite | Na4Zr2Si10O26 · 9H2O |
| 9.DP.40 | Altisite | Na3K6Ti2Al2Si8O26Cl3 |
| 9.DP.45 | Chiappinoite-(Y) | Y2Mn(Si3O7)4 |
| 9.DP.50 | Esquireite | BaSi6O13 · 7H2O |
| 9.DP.55 | Lavinskyite | K(LiCu)Cu6(Si4O11)2(OH)4 |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Plancheite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3233.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Plancheite
Reference List:
Evans, H. T., Mrose, M. E. (1966) Shattuckite and Plancheite: A Crystal Chemical Study. Science, 154 (3748). 506-507 doi:10.1126/science.154.3748.506
Montoya, Judy (1967) A New Occurrence of Plancheite in Arizona. Rocks & Minerals, 42 (4). 277 doi:10.1080/00357529.1967.11765288
Le Bihan, Marie-Thérèse (1967) Contribution à l'étude des silicates de cuivre. Différenciation de la shattuckite et de la planchéite. Structure atomique de la shattuckite. Bulletin de Minéralogie, 90 (1) 3-7 doi:10.3406/bulmi.1967.6059
Evans, Howard T., Mrose, Mary E. (1977) The crystal chemistry of the hydrous copper silicates, shattuckite and plancheite. American Mineralogist, 62 (5-6) 491-502
Frost, Ray L., Xi, Yunfei (2012) A vibrational spectroscopic study of planchéite Cu8Si8O22(OH)4·H2O. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 91. 314-318 doi:10.1016/j.saa.2012.01.051
Localities for Plancheite
Showing 94 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Antarctica | |
| Vennum +1 other reference |
Argentina | |
| Colombo et al. (2011) |
| Minerals acquired from Nelson Valenzuela |
Canada | |
| Teck Resources Limited |
Chile | |
| collected and analysed by french ... |
DR Congo | |
| Lhoest (1992) +1 other reference |
| Deliens (1996) | |
| King (n.d.) | |
| King (n.d.) | |
| Lhoest (1992) +1 other reference | |
| Lhoest (1992) +1 other reference | |
| Lhoest (1992) | |
| Lhoest (1992) +2 other references |
| King (n.d.) |
| Arliguie M photo |
| |
| Lavinsky (n.d.) +1 other reference |
| Deliens (1989) | |
| |
France | |
| Coueille (1988) |
Germany | |
| Wittern (2001) |
Israel | |
| Shlomovitch et al. (1996) |
| Bartura (1974) | |
Italy | |
| Moldovan et al. (2013) |
| Stara P. (1996) | |
| Pelloux A. (1930) |
| Gasparetto et al. (2014) |
| L. Dell'Anna (1967) |
| Marco Bonifazi find & collection +1 other reference |
Japan | |
| Akira Kato (1973) +1 other reference |
Jordan | |
| Kim et al. (2021) |
Mexico | |
| Megaw (2023) |
| Moore et al. (2008) +1 other reference |
| Luetcke (n.d.) |
Namibia | |
| von Bezing (2007) |
| Niedermayr (2001) +1 other reference |
| Brandstetter (2012) |
| ... +3 other references | |
| Palfi (2005) +1 other reference | |
| von Bezing (2007) | |
| Brandstätter +3 other references | |
| Gebhard (1999) |
| Cairncross (1997) |
| Bezing et al. (2007) | |
| Cairncross (1997) +1 other reference | |
| Cairncross (1997) | |
| Markham (1959) | |
Norway | |
| Witsø (1995) |
| Witsø (1995) | |
Portugal | |
| Alves (n.d.) |
Republic of the Congo | |
| Demetrius Pohl +2 other references |
| Spirifer Minerals specimens |
| Lavinsky (n.d.) | |
| De Putter et al. (2016) | |
| Lacroix (1908) +1 other reference |
South Africa | |
| Cairncross et al. (1995) |
| Atanasova et al. (2016) |
| Cairncross et al. (1995) |
Spain | |
| Calvo Rebollar (2016) |
UK | |
| |
| Golley et al. (1995) |
| Kingsbury et al. (MS1) +2 other references |
USA | |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Luetcke (n.d.) |
| Luetcke (n.d.) |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Ron Gyllenhammer Collection |
| Montoya (1967) +1 other reference |
| Eckhard D. Stuart | |
| Gilluly (1937) +1 other reference |
| Luetcke (n.d.) |
| Jay Penn collection |
| Alexander Wong Collection |
| Bideaux (1980) +1 other reference |
| Thomas (1966) +1 other reference |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Galbraith (1959) +2 other references |
| Bideaux et al. (1960) +1 other reference |
| Luetcke (n.d.) |
| Luetcke (n.d.) | |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Pemberton (1983) +1 other reference |
| Murdoch (1966) | |
| Eckel et al. (1997) |
| Williams (1962) +1 other reference |
| Heinrich et al. (2004) |
| Castor et al. (2004) |
| Walstrom 2006 New Mexico Mineral ... |
| Jerry Cone Collection |
| Collected by Patrick Haynes |
| Bullock (1981) |
Zambia | |
| |
| NOTEBAART (1988) |
| personal visits and collecting in 1996 ... +1 other reference |
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Eagle Eye Mine, Moore Mine group, New Water Mining District, New Water Mountains, La Paz County, Arizona, USA