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

Parahibbingite

A valid IMA mineral species
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
Formula:
Fe2(OH)3Cl
Colour:
Light-blue grey (synthetic)
Lustre:
Vitreous
Specific Gravity:
3.24 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Trigonal
Name:
Named for being the β-polymorph of Fe2(OH)3Cl, where the γ-polymorph is hibbingite.
Dimorph of:
Hibbingite
A dimorph of hibbingite.

Very unstable when in contact with air, oxidizing to iron oxyhydroxides such as akaganéite in just a few hours.


Hide all sections | Show all sections

Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
55329
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:55329:8

IMA Classification of ParahibbingiteHide

IMA status:
Approved
IMA Formula:
Fe2+2(OH)3Cl
Approval year:
2021
First published:
2022

Classification of ParahibbingiteHide

Strunz-mindat (2026):
3.DA.

3 : HALIDES
D : Oxyhalides, hydroxyhalides and related double halides
A : With Cu, etc., without Pb

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

Physical Properties of ParahibbingiteHide

Lustre:
Vitreous
Colour:
Light-blue grey (synthetic)
Comment:
Covered by a reddish-brown rim of akageneite.
Streak:
Greyish (synthetic)
Density:
3.24 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Chemistry of ParahibbingiteHide

Mindat Formula:
Fe2(OH)3Cl
Element Weights:
Element% weight
Fe56.362 %
O24.221 %
Cl17.891 %
H1.526 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.
Fe
O
Cl
H
Elements listed:
Cl, Fe, H, O - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Crystallography of ParahibbingiteHide

Crystal System:
Trigonal
Class (H-M):
3m(32/m) - Hexagonal Scalenohedral
Space Group:
R3m
Setting:
R3m
Cell Parameters:
a = 6.9362(4) Å, c = 14.673(1) Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 2.115
Unit Cell V:
611.35 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
6

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacingIntensity
5.55 Å(42)
2.94 Å(22)
2.82 Å(62)
2.31 Å(100)
1.85 Å(17)
1.73 Å(36)
1.66 Å(8)
1.53 Å(15)
Locality:
Karee Mine, Rustenburg, Rustenburg Local Municipality, Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, North West, South Africa

Geological EnvironmentHide

Geological Setting:
weathering of iron meteorites

Type Occurrence of ParahibbingiteHide

Type Locality:
ⓘ Karee Mine, Rustenburg, Rustenburg Local Municipality, Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, North West, South Africa
General Appearance of Type Material:
Fine-grained coatings, reaction rims, and aggregates hosted by talc. Also as short, tiny veinlets parallel to the cleavage of cummingtonite. The maximum size of individual aggregates is 100 µm; individual grains are usually less than a few microns in diameter.
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Collections of the Mineralogical Museum, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, Bratislava 84215, Slovakia, catalogue number 7601
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Late hydrothermal alteration of pyroxenite. Fine-grained reaction rims on the contact of orthopyroxene phenocrysts and talc, inside a drill core.
Associated Minerals at Type Locality:
CummingtoniteEnstatiteTalc

Synonyms of ParahibbingiteHide

Other Language Names for ParahibbingiteHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

3.DA.CentennialiteCaCu3Cl2(OH)6 · nH2O (n ~ 0.7)Trig. 3m(32/m) : P3m1
3.DA.BounahasiteCu+Cu2+2(OH)3Cl2Mon. 2/m
3.DA.MuonionalustaiteNi3(OH)4Cl2 · 4H2OMon. 2/m : B2/m
3.DA.05MelanothalliteCu2Cl2OOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Fddd
3.DA.10cHaydeeiteCu3Mg(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3m(32/m) : P3m1
3.DA.10bClinoatacamiteCu2(OH)3ClMon. 2/m
3.DA.10cParatacamiteCu3(Cu,Zn)(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3 : R3
3.DA.10cKapellasiteCu3Zn(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3m(32/m) : P3m1
3.DA.10cLeverettiteCu3Co(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3 : R3
3.DA.10aHibbingiteFe2+2(OH)3ClOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnma
3.DA.10cParatacamite-(Ni)Cu3(Ni,Cu)(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3 : R3
3.DA.10aKempiteMn2+2(OH)3ClOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnma
3.DA.10cTondiiteCu3Mg(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3m(32/m) : R3m
3.DA.10aAtacamiteCu2(OH)3ClOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnma
3.DA.10bBelloiteCu(OH)ClMon. 2/m : P21/b
3.DA.10cMisakiiteCu3Mn(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3m(32/m) : P3m1
3.DA.10bIyoiteMnCuCl(OH)3Mon. 2/m : P21/m
3.DA.10cKuliginiteFe3Mg(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3 : R3
3.DA.10cGillarditeCu3Ni(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3m(32/m) : R3m
3.DA.10b'Unnamed (Cu-Zn Chloride Hydroxide)'CuZnCl(OH)3Mon. 2/m : P21/m
3.DA.10bBotallackiteCu2(OH)3ClMon. 2/m : P21/m
3.DA.10cHerbertsmithiteCu3Zn(OH)6Cl2Trig. 3m(32/m) : R3m
3.DA.15ClaringbulliteCu4ClF(OH)6Hex. 6/mmm(6/m2/m2/m) : P63/mmc
3.DA.15BarlowiteCu4BrF(OH)6Hex. 6/mmm(6/m2/m2/m) : P63/mmc
3.DA.20SimonkolleiteZn5Cl2(OH)8 · H2OTrig. 3m(32/m) : P3m1
3.DA.25ButtgenbachiteCu19(NO3)2(OH)32Cl4 · 2H2OHex. 6/mmm(6/m2/m2/m) : P63/mmc
3.DA.25ConnelliteCu19(SO4)(OH)32Cl4 · 3H2OHex. 6m2 : P62c
3.DA.30AbhuriteSn21Cl16(OH)14O6Trig. 32 : R32
3.DA.35PonomareviteK4Cu4Cl10OMon. 2/m : B2/b
3.DA.40CalumetiteCaCu4(OH)8Cl2 · 3.5H2OOrth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Cmcm
3.DA.40AnthonyiteCu(OH,Cl)2 · 3H2OMon. 2/m
3.DA.45KhaidarkaniteCu4Al3(OH)14F3 · 2H2OMon. 2/m : B2/m
3.DA.50BobkingiteCu5Cl2(OH)8 · 2H2OMon. 2/m : B2/m
3.DA.55AvdoniniteK2Cu5(OH)4Cl8 · H2OMon. 2/m : P21/b
3.DA.60DroninoiteNi6Fe3+2(OH)16Cl2 · 4H2OTrig. 3m(32/m) : R3m
3.DA.70ChrysothalliteK6Cu6Tl3+Cl17(OH)4 · H2OTet. 4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) : I4/mmm
3.DA.70DioskouriiteCaCu4Cl6(OH)4 · 4H2OMon. 2/m : P21/b
3.DA.75FeodosiyiteCu11Mg2Cl18(OH)8 · 16H2OMon. 2/m : P21/b
3.DA.80RomanorloviteK8Cu6Cl17(OH)3Tet. 4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) : I4/mmm

Other InformationHide

Special Storage/
Display Requirements:
Unstable in air.
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 ParahibbingiteHide

References for ParahibbingiteHide

Reference List:
Oswald, H.R., Feitknecht, W. (1964) Über die Hydroxidhalogenide Me2(OH)3Cl, -Br, -J zweiwertiget Metalle (Me = Mg, Ni, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn). Helvetica Chimica Acta, 47, 272–289. [synthetic]
Buchwald, V.F., and Koch, C.B. (1995) Hibbingite (β-Fe2(OH)3Cl), a chlorine-rich corrosion product in meteorites and ancient iron objects. Meteoritics, 30(5), 493-493.
Rémazeilles, C., Refait, P. (2008) Formation, fast oxidation and thermodynamic data of Fe(II) hydrochlorides. Corrosion Science, 50, 856-864.
Miyawaki, Ritsuro, Hatert, Frédéric, Pasero, Marco, Mills, Stuart J. (2021) IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) – Newsletter 59. European Journal of Mineralogy, 33 (1) 139-143 doi:10.5194/ejm-33-139-2021
Margheri, Simone, Bindi, Luca, Bonazzi, Paola, Holtstam, Dan (2022) Structural and spectroscopic study of well-developed crystals of parahibbingite, β-Fe2(OH)3Cl, formed from terrestrial weathering of the Muonionalusta iron meteorite. Mineralogical Magazine, 86 (6) 891-896 doi:10.1180/mgm.2022.108
(2022) Parahibbingite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America
Koděra, Peter, Majzlan, Juraj, Pollok, Kilian, Kiefer, Stefan, Šimko, František, Scholtzová, Eva, Luptáková, Jarmila, Cawthorn, Grant (2022) Ferrous hydroxychlorides hibbingite [γ-Fe2(OH)3Cl] and parahibbingite [β-Fe2(OH)3Cl] as a concealed sink of Cl and H2O in ultrabasic and granitic systems. American Mineralogist, 107 (5) 826-841 doi:10.2138/am-2022-8011

Localities for ParahibbingiteHide

Showing 3 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.
Russia
 
  • Murmansk Oblast
    • Kolsky District
South Africa (TL)
 
  • North West
    • Bojanala Platinum District Municipality
      • Rustenburg Local Municipality
        • Rustenburg
Miyawaki et al. (2021) +1 other reference
Sweden
 
  • Norrbotten County
    • Pajala
      • Kitkiöjärvi
Taddei et al. (2025)
Quick NavTopUnique IdentifiersIMA Classification Classification Mineral SymbolsPhysical Properties Chemistry Crystallography X-Ray Powder DiffractionGeological EnvironmentType Occurrence SynonymsOther LanguagesStrunz-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 23:33:01 Page updated: August 31, 2026 23:18:12
Go to top of page