earth science

Warikahnite

Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite rather than just read about it. In short: Warikahnite is a rare zinc arsenate mineral of the triclinic crystal system with Hermann-Mauguin notation 1, belonging to the space group P1. It occurs in the Tsumeb mine in Namibia on corroded tennantite in the second oxidation zone under hydrothermal conditions in a dolomite-hosted polymetallic ore deposit.

Key takeaways

Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Warikahnite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Warikahnite is a rare zinc arsenate mineral of the triclinic crystal system with Hermann-Mauguin notation 1, belonging to the space group P1. It occurs in the Tsumeb mine in Namibia on corroded tennantite in the second oxidation zone under hydrothermal conditions in a dolomite-hosted polymetallic ore deposit. It is associated with adamite, stranskiite, koritnigite, claudetite, tsumcorite, and ludlockite. The origin of discovery was in a dolomite ore formation within an oxidized hydrothermal zone, in the E9 pillar, 31st level of the Tsumeb Mine in Namibia, Southwest Africa. It has also been found at Lavrion, Greece and Plaka, Greece as microscopic white needles.

Discovery

Warikahnite was discovered by Clive Queit at Tsumeb mine and was first described in 1979 by Keller, Hess, and Dunn. The name "warikahnite" honors Walter Richard Kahn, who was born in 1911. He was from Bad Bayersoien, Germany, and he was a dealer and collector that specialized in Tsumeb minerals. He was honored due to his support of research into rare secondary minerals. The type material is located at the University of Stuttgart, the Smithsonian Institution, and Harvard University.

Physical properties Warikahnite has perfect cleavage on the c-axis {001}; and good cleavage on both the a- and b-axes ({100} and {010}). It has bladed subhedral crystals up to 3 × .5 × .5 mm, elongated on {100} and flattened on {010}, with a hardness of approximately 2 as presented in table two. Its specific gravity is 4.24 and it exhibits a colorless to pale yellow hue, along with a white streak and vitreous luster. This triclinic 1 specimen classified under the space group P1 features striated crystals up to two centimetres in radial to subparallel aggregates. The Handbook of Mineralogy further states the cell dimensions of biaxial Warikahnite to be calculated as a = 6.710(1) Å, b = 8.989(2) Å, and c = 14.533(2) Å, with unit cell volume as 788.58 Å.

Crystal structure

The crystal structure of Warikahnite, determined from diffractometer data, contained six various coordination polyhedra of zinc with components of As, O, and H2O; with the coordination numbers six, five, and four; and with five different combinations of ligand. The "Die Kristallstruktur von Warikahnit" article also notes that the hydrogen bonds are discussed appertaining to both charge balance and infrared spectra. Recent data shows the Gladstone-Dale relation compatibility of warikahnite is ranked as superior (−0.010).

Chemical composition Warikahnite has the chemical formula Zn3(AsO4)2·2H2O. Along with arsenate ions (AsO4)3−, the infrared spectrum revealed H2O. These water molecules present in the warikahnite sample were determined by thermo gravimetric analysis, and lost at 365 °C. Both H2O and (AsO4)3− readily dissolved when hot hydrochloric acid (HCL) or nitric acid (HNO3) were added to the specimen. After a microprobe analysis, the weight percent oxides were calculated as follows in the table directly below.

Geologic occurrence Warikahnite's only known localities to date are the Tsumeb Mine in Namibia, South West Africa; and Plaka and Lavrion, Greece. The first discovery of this type specimen in the mine was found with white koritnigite, blue stranskiite, pale to emerald-green cuprian adamite, crystals of helmutwinklerite, and white corroded crystals of claudetite, ludlockite, tsumcorite, and lavendulan; while the second acquisition was only linked to quartz.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Warikahnite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite

In research: Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite 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: Warikahnite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arsenate minerals, Minerals described in 1979, Minerals in space group 2, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Warikahnite in simple terms?

Why does Warikahnite 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 Warikahnite?

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 Warikahnite.