Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Azurite vs. Smithsonite
It's carbonate-vs-carbonate to kick off Mineral Cup 2026 with copper-rich Azurite against zinc-rich Smithsonite.
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

Wilhelmgümbelite

A valid IMA mineral species
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
09784360017272472586254.jpg
Wilhelmgümbelite

Hagendorf South Pegmatite, Hagendorf, Waidhaus, Neustadt an der Waldnaab District, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany
09784360017272472586254.jpg
Wilhelmgümbelite

Hagendorf South Pegmatite, Hagendorf, Waidhaus, Neustadt an der Waldnaab District, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany
09784360017272472586254.jpg
Wilhelmgümbelite

Hagendorf South Pegmatite, Hagendorf, Waidhaus, Neustadt an der Waldnaab District, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany
Hide all sections | Show all sections

About WilhelmgümbeliteHide

08108520017272472595017.jpg
Carl Wilhelm Ritter von Gümbel
Formula:
ZnFe2+Fe3+3(PO4)3(OH)4(H2O)5 · 2H2O
Colour:
Light yellow-brown to orange-red
Lustre:
Dull
Specific Gravity:
2.89
Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Name:
The name is for Dr. Carl Wilhelm von Gümbel (11 February 1823, Dannenfels, Germany - 18 June 1898, Munich, Germany). He was appointed to Munich in 1851 by King Maximilian II to lead the geological studies of the kingdom of Bavaria for more than 47 years. Geological mapping of Bavaria became his life’s work, published in a number of comprehensive volumes that were printed between 1861 and 1891. His second volume "Geognostische Beschreibung des Ostbayerischen Grenzgebirges oder des Bayerischen und Oberpfälzer Waldgebirges", published in 1868, became an essential contribution to the mineralogical and geological investigation of pegmatites and their minerals in the eastern parts of Bavaria.
Isostructural with:
Wildenauerite
Related to schoonerite - an oxidized form of schoonerite with Mn2+ largely replaced by Fe3+. Chemistry similar to phosphophyllite, plimerite, steinmetzite, zinclipscombite, and zincoberaunite (these minerals have homovalent iron).
Also related to schmidite.

Structural differences from schoonerite: (1) Zn partitioned between two different sites: one 5-coordinated (as in schoonerite), the other tetrahedrally coordinated; (2) partial occupation of one of the Fe sites, probably correlated with the Zn partitioning. The structural formula: [Zn(Mn0.27Fe3+ 0.73)Σ1.0(Zn0.25Fe2+0.15Fe3+0.6)Σ1.0(Zn0.25Fe2+0.45)Σ0.7Fe3+(PO4)3(OH,H2O)9]·2H2O.


Name EncodingHide

ASCII-7:
Wilhelmgumbelite

Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
46972
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:46972:2

IMA Classification of WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Classification of WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Strunz-mindat (2026):
8.DB.07

8 : PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES
D : Phosphates, etc. with additional anions, with H2O
B : With only medium-sized cations, (OH, etc.):RO4< 1:1

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

SymbolSourceReference for Standard
WgüIMA–CNMNCWarr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Physical Properties of WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Lustre:
Dull
Colour:
Light yellow-brown to orange-red
Streak:
Pale yellow-brown
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Perfect
parallel to {010}
Fracture:
Irregular/Uneven
Density:
2.89 g/cm3 (Measured)    2.82 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Optical Data of WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.558 - 1.562 nβ = 1.667 - 1.671 nγ = 1.716 - 1.720
2V:
Measured: 63° (1), Calculated: 65°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.158
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. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.

Surface Relief:
Moderate
Dispersion:
weak (r>v)
Optical Extinction:
Parallel. X = b, Y = c, Z = a.
Pleochroism:
Weak
Comments:
Z = orange-brown, Y = yellow-brown, X = light yellow-brown.
Comments:
Absorption: Z >> Y > X.

Chemistry of WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Mindat Formula:
ZnFe2+Fe3+3(PO4)3(OH)4(H2O)5 · 2H2O
Element Weights:
Element% weight
O47.927 %
Fe29.093 %
P12.102 %
Zn8.515 %
H2.363 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.
Elements listed:
Fe, H, O, P, Zn - search for minerals with similar chemistry
Common Impurities:
Mn(II)

Crystallography of WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Crystal System:
Orthorhombic
Class (H-M):
mmm(2/m2/m2/m) - Dipyramidal
Cell Parameters:
a = 10.987(3) Å, b = 25.378(13) Å, c = 6.387(6) Å
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.433 : 1 : 0.252
Unit Cell V:
1,780.87 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Comment:
Space group setting is Pmab

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Geological EnvironmentHide

Type Occurrence of WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Type Locality:
ⓘ Hagendorf South Pegmatite, Hagendorf, Waidhaus, Neustadt an der Waldnaab District, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany
General Appearance of Type Material:
Radiating sprays of needle-like rectangular laths (up to 0.2 mm in length).
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (registration number M53512)
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Phosphate-bearing granite pegmatite (oxidized zone) likely formed from schoonerite.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
Albite'Apatite'ChalcophaniteJahnsite SubgroupMitridatite
MuscoviteQuartzSteinmetzite
Reference:
Grey, I. E., Keck, E., Kampf, A. R., Macrae, C. M., Glenn, A. M., Price, J. R. (2017) Wilhelmgümbelite, [ZnFe2+Fe33+(PO4)3(OH)4(H2O)5]·2H2O, a new schoonerite-related mineral from the Hagendorf Süd pegmatite, Bavaria. Mineralogical Magazine, 81 (2) 287-296 doi:10.1180/minmag.2016.080.098

Synonyms of WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Other Language Names for WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Relationship of Wilhelmgümbelite to other SpeciesHide

Member of:
Schoonerite Group
Other Members of Schoonerite Group:
Schmidite[Zn2(Fe3+,Mn2+)2Fe3+(PO4)3(OH)3(H2O)6] · 2H2OOrth.
SchooneriteZnMn2+Fe2+2Fe3+(PO4)3(OH)2 · 9H2OOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pbam
WildenaueriteZn(Fe3+,Mn2+)2MnFe3+(PO4)3(OH)3(H2O)6 · 2H2OOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pbam

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

8.DB.ArangasiteAl2F(PO4)(SO4) · 9H2O Mon. 2/m : P2/b
8.DB.HösliteFe3+3(VO4)2(SO4)(OH)(H2O)4 · 3H2OMon. 2/m : P21/b
8.DB.Camaronesite[Fe3+(H2O)2(PO3OH)]2(SO4) · 1-2H2OTrig. 32 : R32
8.DB.05DestineziteFe3+2(PO4)(SO4)(OH) · 6H2OTric. 1 : P1
8.DB.05Pitticite(Fe, AsO4, H2O) (?)Amor.
8.DB.05DiadochiteFe3+2(PO4)(SO4)(OH) · 6H2OAmor.
8.DB.07Schmidite[Zn2(Fe3+,Mn2+)2Fe3+(PO4)3(OH)3(H2O)6] · 2H2OOrth.
8.DB.07WildenaueriteZn(Fe3+,Mn2+)2MnFe3+(PO4)3(OH)3(H2O)6 · 2H2OOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pbam
8.DB.10VashegyiteAl11(PO4)9(OH)6 · 38H2OOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m)
8.DB.15SchooneriteZnMn2+Fe2+2Fe3+(PO4)3(OH)2 · 9H2OOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pbam
8.DB.20SinkankasiteMn2+Al(PO3OH)2(OH) · 6H2OTric. 1 : P1
8.DB.25MitryaevaiteAl6(PO4)((P,S)O3(OH,O))2F2(OH)2 · 14.5H2OTric. 1 : P1
8.DB.30SanjuaniteAl2(PO4)(SO4)(OH) · 9H2OTric.
8.DB.35SarmientiteFe3+2(AsO4)(SO4)(OH) · 5H2OMon. 2/m : P21/b
8.DB.40BukovskýiteFe3+2(AsO4)(SO4)(OH) · 9H2OTric. 1 : P1
8.DB.40ManganflurliteZnMn2+3Fe3+(PO4)3(OH)2(H2O)7 · 2H2OMon. 2/m : P21/m
8.DB.40FlurliteZn3Mn2+Fe3+(PO4)3(OH)2 · 9H2OMon. 2/m : P21/m
8.DB.42BohuslaviteFe3+4(PO4)3(SO4)(OH) · nH2OTric. 1 : P1
8.DB.45ZýkaiteFe3+4(AsO4)3(SO4)(OH) · 15H2OOrth. 222 : P222
8.DB.47LapeyreiteCu3O[AsO3(OH)]2 · 0.75H2OMon. 2/m : B2/m
8.DB.50RossiantoniteAl3(PO4)(SO4)2(OH)2(H2O)14Tric. 1 : P1
8.DB.50GiniiteFe2+Fe3+4(PO4)3(OH)5 · 2H2OMon. 2/m : P2/b
8.DB.52'Arctowskite'Al9(PO4)8(OH)3 · 27H2OOrth.
8.DB.55Sasaite(Al,Fe3+)14(PO4)11(SO4)(OH)7 · 83H2OOrth.
8.DB.60McauslaniteFe3Al2(PO4)3(PO3OH)F · 18H2OTric.
8.DB.65GoldquarryiteCuCd2Al3(PO4)4F2(H2O,F)2 · 10H2OTric. 1 : P1
8.DB.70BirchiteCd2Cu2(PO4)2(SO4) · 5H2OOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnma
8.DB.75BraithwaiteiteNaCu5(Ti4+Sb5+)(AsO4)4(HAsO4)2O2 · 8H2OTric. 1 : P1

Other InformationHide

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 WilhelmgümbeliteHide

References for WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Localities for WilhelmgümbeliteHide

Showing 1 localities.

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
Hide all sections | Show all sections

Locality ListHide

- 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). Struck out - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Germany (TL)
 
  • Bavaria
    • Upper Palatinate
      • Neustadt an der Waldnaab District
        • Waidhaus
          • Hagendorf
Hålenius et al. (2016) +1 other reference
Quick NavTopAbout WilhelmgümbeliteName EncodingUnique IdentifiersIMA Classification Classification Mineral SymbolsPhysical Properties Optical Data Chemistry Crystallography X-Ray Powder DiffractionGeological EnvironmentType Occurrence SynonymsOther LanguagesRelationshipsStrunz-MindatOther InformationInternet Links References Localities Locality List
 
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 1, 2026 17:52:05 Page updated: August 17, 2026 13:09:22
Go to top of page