Abstract
This paper gives the results of a study of the mineralogy of Chuquicamata, Quetena, and Alcaparrosa, three sulphate deposits near Calama, in Northern Chile. The sulphate and chloride minerals, their description, their paragenesis, and the geochemistry of their formation, are the primary interest of the paper. The minerals described were collected by the author in 1935.
Seventy-six minerals were identified and studied. Eighteen of these minerals are known only from northern Chile and twelve are known only from these three deposits. An attempt has been made to clear up some of the varietal names and doubtful species that have been described from these mines. Seven new well-defined mineral species were discovered during the research—antofagastite, bandylite, leightonite, ungemachite, and lindgrenite have been described elsewhere; metasideronatrite and parabutlerite are described here. For all of these, complete crystallographic, optical, and chemical data were secured. Important new crystallographic data are presented for the minerals szomolnokite, pickering-ite, rhomboclase, botryogen, lapparentite and natrojarosite. New x-ray data were obtained on three minerals and new optical data on sixteen, and nine new chemical analyses are presented.
