Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Sauconite from
Friedensville Mine, Friedensville, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA


02947530017361090245604.jpg
Sauconite

Friedensville Mine, Friedensville, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA
02947530017361090245604.jpg
Sauconite

Friedensville Mine, Friedensville, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA
02947530017361090245604.jpg
Sauconite

Friedensville Mine, Friedensville, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA
Locality type:Mine
Classification
Species:Sauconite
Formula:Na0.3Zn3((Si,Al)4O10)(OH)2 · 4H2O
Comments:First described in Dana's System of Minerology 5th edition (1868, p.409) as a pale-yellow zinciferous clay discovered in the upper workings of the Uebberoth Zinc Mine by J. M. Blake. (MSP Newsletter, May 1963, p. 5, PM7) analyzed in 1875 by Prof. W. T. Roepper of Lehigh University. Found in large quantity durring mining operations close to the surface, tonnage of the material was shipped to the Oxide furnaces for recovery of it's zinc content (20-30 percent of Zinc Oxide). ref: B. L. Miller, Lehigh Co., PA; Geol. Surv. Bill. C39, 1941, p. 340)
Habit:earthy masses, clay-like
Colour:pale yellow
Luminescent properties:none
Quality for species:Excellent - world class for species or very significant. (!!)
Abundance at site:Very common
Confirmation
Validity:Valid - Type Locality
Data
Mineral Data:Click here to view Sauconite data
Locality Data:Click here to view Friedensville Mine, Friedensville, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA
Data Identifiers
Mindat Occurrence Record ID:53627
Long-form Identifier:1:3:53627:7
GUID (UUID V4):0
Nearest other occurrences of Sauconite
0.0km (0.0 miles) ⓘNew Hartman Mine (Correll Mine), Friedensville, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA
0.0km (0.0 miles) ⓘUeberroth Mine, Friedensville, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA
89.1km (55.3 miles) ⓘSterling Hill, Ogdensburg, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA
89.4km (55.6 miles) ⓘSterling Mine, Sterling Hill, Ogdensburg, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA
98.2km (61.0 miles) ⓘAlmedia Mine, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, USA
References
Arthur Montgomery
The Mineralogy of Pennsylvania, 1922-1965, pg. 52
pub#9 Acadamy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
Rocks & Minerals (1955) 30:394
 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 3, 2026 05:25:42
Go to top of page