earth science

Otwayite

Otwayite is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Otwayite rather than just read about it. In short: Otwayite, Ni2CO3(OH)2, is a hydrated nickel carbonate mineral. Otwayite is green, with a hardness of 4, a specific gravity of 3.4, and crystallises in the orthorhombic system.

Key takeaways

Otwayite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Otwayite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Otwayite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Otwayite, Ni2CO3(OH)2, is a hydrated nickel carbonate mineral. Otwayite is green, with a hardness of 4, a specific gravity of 3.4, and crystallises in the orthorhombic system.

Occurrence Otwayite is found in association with nullaginite and hellyerite in the Otway nickel deposit. It is found in association with theoprastite, hellyerite, gaspeite and a suite of other nickel carbonate minerals in the Lord Brassey Mine, Tasmania. Otwayite is found in association with gaspeite, hellyerite and kambaldaite in the Widgie Townsite nickel gossan, Widgiemooltha, Western Australia. It is also reported from the Pafuri nickel deposit, South Africa. It was first described in 1977 from the Otway Nickel Deposit, Nullagine, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia and named for Australian prospector Charles Albert Otway (born 1922).

References

Nickel, E. H.; Robinson, B. W.; Davis, C. E. S.; MacDonald, R. D. (1977). "Otwayite, a new nickel mineral from Western Australia" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 62: 999–1002. Nickel, E. H.; Hallbert, J. A.; Halligan, R. (1979). "Unusual nickel mineralization at Nullagine, Western Australia". Journal of the Geological Society of Australia. 26 (1–2): 61–71. Bibcode:1979AuJES..26...61N. doi:10.1080/00167617908729067. Henry, D. A. & Birch, W. D. (1992): Otwayite and theophrastite from the Lord Brassey Mine, Tasmania. Mineral. Mag. 56, 252-255. Andersen, P., Bottrill, R. & Davidson, P. (2002): Famous mineral localities: The Lord Brassey mine, Tasmania. Mineral. Rec. 33, 321-332.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Otwayite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Otwayite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Otwayite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Otwayite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Otwayite

In research: Otwayite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Otwayite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Otwayite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Carbonate mineral stubs, Carbonate minerals, Nickel minerals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Otwayite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Otwayite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Otwayite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Otwayite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Otwayite in simple terms?

Otwayite, Ni2CO3(OH)2, is a hydrated nickel carbonate mineral. Otwayite is green, with a hardness of 4, a specific gravity of 3.4, and crystallises in the orthorhombic system.

Why does Otwayite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Otwayite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Otwayite.